EVOLUTION CAN'T DIGEST THIS FLY
Psalm 148:10, 13
"Beasts, and all cattle; creeping things, and flying fowl… let them praise the name of the LORD: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven."
Conifers aren't bothered by too many insect pests. That's because the oils that give them that nice pine scent are poisonous. They would be poisonous to the conifer sawfly larva if it digested them, too. But while it munches the pine needles, its body is busy storing the poisonous oils for future defense. The fact that the sawfly not only eats pine needles, but also uses the poisonous oils for defense, poses a difficult problem for evolution which appears to have no solution.
The sawfly larva's unique ability makes it a serious conifer pest both in North America and Europe. Part of the larva's secret is its digestive system. It separates the poisonous oils in the pine needles from the nutritious pulp. Then it regurgitates the poisonous oils and stores them in two special sacs in its mouth. These sacs are lined with a chitinous material that protects the rest of the mouth from the acidic, poisonous oils. When threatened by a spider or even a bird, the sawfly releases some of this bad-smelling oil in the direction of the threat. This strategy effectively convinces most aggressors to seek a meal somewhere else.
The problem for evolution is that these complicated structures and special abilities could not have developed in a gradual, step by step fashion as evolution demands. If the sawfly once did not originally eat pine needles, then how did it acquire the special ability to eat them and develop this special defense system? So, even this humble fly bears witness to its Creator.
Dear Lord, help me to be a better witness of Your love for me. Amen.
EVOLUTION IN REVERSE
Romans 3:20
"Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin."
Some time ago, we told you about the nineteenth-century paleontologist Louis Dollo, who proposed a law that has become a cornerstone of evolutionary belief. Dollo's law says that a structure or organ lost during the course of evolution would not reappear in that organism. In other words, evolution never shifts into reverse.
But even a recent issue of Smithsonian Magazine points out that Dollo's law has been broken again and again. For instance, it mentions a tree frog from South America that lost its lower teeth only to re-evolve them after 200 million years.
Apparently, Dollo's law has now been broken yet again. According to a recent study of the wrists of modern birds, a bone lost from dinosaurs for tens of millions of years reappeared when dinosaurs evolved into birds and took flight.
But wait! According to Dollo's law, evolution never goes backward. Structures which have disappeared should not return. Ever faithful to Darwinism, the magazine is left to conclude: "Perhaps the very bone you are sitting on, your coccyx, is ready to re-evolve a tail at some future moment when humans might need it again to hang from trees."
Dollo's law should be true if you're an evolutionist but it isn't. But the law established by our Creator is true, and it condemns each and every one of us because we have broken that law. Christians can thank God for that law, however, because it drives us to seek salvation in Christ.
Lord Jesus, thank You for taking upon Yourself the punishment I deserve for breaking Your commandments. Because of Your sinless life, Your death on the cross and Your resurrection from the dead, I can look forward to eternal life with You! Amen.
EVOLUTION OF BATS GETS MONKEYED UP
Psalm 33:6
"By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth."
We have noted many times the different ways in which bats defy evolutionary explanations. For their echolocation systems to evolve, bats had to develop simultaneously the ability to make high pitched sounds, hear those sounds, and figure out what they mean. How did they eat before they evolved these abilities? Then there is the problem of evolving typical mammalian forearms into bat wings without crippling the creature in the process. Even evolutionists admit that the evolution of all these features even once is highly unlikely.
Bats are divided into two sub orders. Smaller bats, like the free tail bats of Mexico, are classified in the sub order of Microchiroptera. Large bats, like the fruit bat, are classified into the sub order of Megachiroptera. The brains of the larger bats have very different visual pathways than those in smaller bats. The visual pathways of the larger bats are more like those of primates! But no evolutionist would dare suggest that they evolved from primates. The second complication is that this means that both small and large bats could not have evolved from a common ancestor. It further means that all the unlikely features of bats had to have evolved at least twice, if evolution were true.
The Bible offers a simple explanation for the design of the bat and the differences between their brains. They were made by God using whatever designs He knew would be best for that creature's way of life, without regard for later, humanly devised classification systems.
Lord, thank You for Your Word that made life and gives life now. Amen.
EVOLUTION PRODUCES CRYBABIES
Ruth 4:16
"And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it."
If you're a parent, you undoubtedly remember being awakened by your little angel crying in the middle of the night. Sometimes it's dad who gets out of bed to see what's wrong. But more often, it's mom who gets up to breastfeed her baby. But now a Harvard scientist tells us that the baby who demands a nighttime meal has a more sinister reason. The child is trying to prevent siblings from being born.
Does that make sense to you? It does to evolutionary biologist David Haig. Writing in Evolution, Medicine and Public Health, he suggested that if its parents had another baby, this would mean having to share mom and dad. So babies are "programmed" to do everything they can to keep this from happening. In our past, Haig proposed, babies who cried to be nursed at night had a survival edge.
Oh really? If the baby is trying to prevent mom and dad from having more babies, doesn't this go against the parents' "evolutionary" drive to bear the greatest number of children to benefit the species?
Evolutionists who dream up such theories are rewarded with appearances on Fox News. They also arouse the interest of other scientists and see their papers published in respected scientific journals. But most of all, they are praised for suggesting once again that everything in our world rests upon the foundation of evolution. Thankfully, Bible-believing scientists have a far different foundation – the Lord Jesus Christ!
Heavenly Father, is it too difficult for scientists to understand that babies cry at night because they are hungry or want to be held? As Your child, I am grateful that You are there to comfort me at any time of day or night. Amen.
EVOLUTIONARY PREDICTION FAILS
Deuteronomy 18:22
"When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him."
If man is the result of billions of years of evolution from the simplest of creatures, evolution predicts that man should have retained most, if not all, of the best abilities of those other creatures in his heritage.
According to evolution, our ape-like ancestors had opposing toes, just as we have opposing thumbs. If we had retained those opposing toes, we could pick things up without bending over. The female chimp can pull 1,260 pounds with one arm. That would be a pretty handy facility. And then, there is the hero shrew of Uganda, just six inches long, but it can support the weight of a one hundred and sixty pound man on its back!
Even the lowly snail can pull up to 200 times its own weight, and lift ten times its weight. Then what about the trilobite, right at the bottom of the evolutionary ladder and supposedly extinct for 300 million years? This little fellow had the most sophisticated eye lenses, actually double lenses, ever found in nature!
Since all of these abilities would be greatly beneficial for us, why didn't evolution let us keep or develop these abilities as we evolved? The answer is simple. We have not evolved. Rather, we have been made by a Creator Who made us for the purpose of a relationship with Himself through His Son, Jesus Christ.
Dear heavenly Father, I thank You that while I cannot leap tall buildings or lift them, You have made me for the higher purpose of a relationship with You. Increase my trust in the atoning work of Your Son for me so that I may grow closer to You. In His Name. Amen.
EVOLUTIONARY PREDICTION FAILS
Genesis 1:24
"And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so."
Scientists who believe in creation often point out that when we finally learn the genetics of a creature, that information doesn't match its supposed evolutionary history. There are many examples of this, and a new example was reported in the scientific literature at the end of 1998.
Evolutionary scientists had theorized that turtles were the last survivors of a very early group of creatures that later evolved into reptiles, birds and mammals. Their reasoning for this lies in the type of skull turtles have. Most reptiles and birds have two holes on each side of their skulls, behind their eyes. But turtles stand alone in having none of these holes. So they were classified as a separate evolutionary branch. But a comparison of the genetics of the turtle and other reptiles now places turtles among reptiles. They are not related to any supposed ancestor of reptiles, but rather are closest to alligators and birds. While some evolutionists are critical of this study, the study itself is the second that places turtles among the modern reptile family.
As more genetic information has become known in recent years, the relationships revealed have not generally been what evolutionists expected. And this is exactly what those who believe in the Creator would expect. So next time someone tries to tell you that belief in the Creator is ignorant and unscientific, just remember the turtle!
Dear Father in heaven, I thank You that true knowledge glorifies You. Help my life and witness glorify You as well. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
EVOLUTIONISTS ARE SIMPLE MINDED
Psalm 9:1
"I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works."
Evolutionists are simple minded. It's a fact! Charles Darwin thought that the cell was virtually as simple as a blob of gelatin with a nucleus inside, and evolutionists have been simple minded ever since.
To check this out, Creation Moments asked an evolutionist which came first: the heart, the blood or the blood vessels? After all, if the heart evolved first, what good would it be without the other two? If the blood evolved first … well, you get the idea. The evolutionist pretty much avoided our question and said that the heart could easily have come about through natural processes. After all, he said, the heart is "a simple pump."
To put it simply, evolutionists think they can bolster their argument by claiming that the incredibly complex things God created actually have quite simple beginnings. Random collisions between molecules – given enough time – will certainly be able to create simple things, they say. And those simple things, they continue to conjecture, will gradually become more and more complex things, given enough time. Case closed, say the evolutionists.
How different this is from reality! What scientists once called the "simple cell" is now known to be a city in miniature, complete with manufacturing facilities, transportation systems, power plants and a library of code that enables the cell to be self-replicating. And it's all packed inside that tiny so-called "simple" cell!
For those whose minds are not held captive by atheistic naturalism, an incredibly complex universe filled with amazingly complex creatures requires an unfathomably complex God.
Heavenly Father, I pray that You will open the eyes of unbelievers so they will see the world around them as Your creation. Once they see this, I pray they will understand that You entered Your creation to die for their sins. Amen.
EVOLUTIONISTS DESPISE THIS WOLF
1 Thessalonians 5:21
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good."
Meet Wolf-Ekkehard Lönnig, a brilliant scientist who worked at the Max-Planck Institute until his retirement. Though he has written four books on the subject of evolution, he has infuriated evolutionists everywhere by daring to challenge Neo-Darwinism on scientific grounds.
He told the Diplomacy Post in March 2014: "A scientific hypothesis should be potentially falsifiable.... However," he added, "the idea of slow evolution by 'infinitesimally small inherited variations' etc. has been falsified by the findings of palaeontology... as well [as] genetics. Yet its adherents principally reject any scientific proof against Neo-Darwinism," he said, "so that, in fact, their theory has become a non-falsifiable worldview, to which people stick in spite of all contrary evidence."
Scientists continue to support evolution despite the evidence that actually falsified evolution because "without Darwinism, philosophic materialism has lost its battle against an intelligent origin of the world."
But Wolf had more to say. "According to Neo-Darwinism, all important problems of the origin of species are, at least in principle, solved. Further questions on the validity of evolutionary theory are thus basically superfluous. However, such a dogmatic attitude stops further investigations and hinders fruitful research in science."
Though Wolf-Ekkehard Lönnig has stopped short of giving recognition to God as the Intelligent Designer, we applaud his work for showing that evolution doesn't even deserve to be called scientific.
Father, I pray for Intelligent Design proponents. Though they understand that the creation requires an intelligent designer, many of them still don't realize that the Intelligent Designer is You! In Jesus' Name. Amen.
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Saturday, June 22, 2019
CREATION MOMENTS: 6.22.19 - PT.6
CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF CRAYFISH
Acts 1:11b
"Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven."
Though we are aware of no confirmed reports of meatballs falling from the sky during a rainstorm, there have been hundreds of reports of strange things falling from the clouds during strong storms. And sometimes, this even includes living animals.
According to the Weather Channel, one such instance happened in 2013 when live crabs fell on the community of Lynn Haven, Florida. Another storm of living creatures happened on June 28, 1957, near Thomasville, Alabama. This was when thousands of live fish, frogs, and crayfish fell from the sky during a heavy rain. It was thought that an F2 tornado fifteen miles to the south was responsible for this strange phenomenon.
Creationist Donald DeYoung writes about a storm in 1984 that dumped live six-inch flounder in a London suburb. Rains of flightless animals have been reported throughout history. In the first century AD, Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder documented storms of frogs and fishes. Indeed, the most common type of creature to fall from the sky is fish. It is thought that they get picked up by waterspouts and are then dropped over land, sometimes miles away.
While there are hundreds of stories like these from all over the world, the most unusual living creatures ever to appear out of the sky were horses of fire just before Elijah the prophet was taken up by a whirlwind into the heavens. But even that extraordinary historic event will pale in comparison to the return of Jesus Christ in the clouds.
Heavenly Father, just as Your Son ascended to heaven, I know that He will return to the Earth in the same way. Lord, I eagerly await that most blessed of days. Amen.
COME OUT, COME OUT, WHEREVER YOU ARE!
Psalm 119:114
"Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word."
It has long been known that electric eels are able to immobilize prey with a jolt of electricity. But new research, reported in the journal Science, has shown that eels also use their electric organs to make fish come out of hiding. A researcher from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, found that the electric discharges from eels caused the muscles of their prey to twitch, making them easier to capture by revealing their whereabouts.
Dr. Kenneth Catania, who led the study, set up small aquatic arenas to test the eels' hunting abilities – putting an eel and a fish into the same tank. As he discovered, the eels' electric pulses directly activated the nerves that controlled their prey's muscles. "You and I couldn't activate every muscle in our bodies at once," he said, "but the eels can do that [remotely] in their prey."
Dr. Catania noticed that hungry eels would emit pairs of pulses when their potential meal was out of view. These "doublets", as they are called, generate very rapid and strong muscle contraction, causing the fish to jump and bringing them out of hiding.
Just like the hapless fish in the tank, we have powerful enemies who seek our destruction. But we know we also have an all-powerful God who protects and preserves us. In Psalm 143:9, the writer cries out: "Deliver me, O LORD, from mine enemies: I flee unto thee to hide me." While our enemies may be many and strong, our God is stronger still.
Heavenly Father, thank You for being a very present help when I am in trouble. When I am under attack, I know I can turn to You. Amen.
CONFRONTATION WITH A RADICAL ATHEIST
2 Peter 3:12
"Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?"
Creation Moments and friends of our ministry spend countless hours sharing their faith and the truth of biblical creation on social networking websites. One such creationist, Allen Dunckley, Th.D. recently ran into a person he describes as a radical atheist. The atheist laid down a challenge with these words: "Demonstrate a causal link to why your god needs to exist or does exist."
Dr. Dunckley was quick to respond with a question of his own: "Can you explain to us how is it that the positively charged protons in the nucleus of an atom don't repel each other since it is a fact that like charges do so? By the laws of physics, the atomic nucleus should not exist, yet it does."
He continued: "This fact is consistent with Colossians 1:17 that says, 'by Him (Jesus Christ) all things consist.' 'Consist' is from a Greek word which means 'held together.' So here is demonstrable empirical fact that God exists and that His existence is what holds the very fabric of matter together. So the existence of the material universe is dependent on the existence of the Creator Himself. All that needs to be done to destroy the universe is for God to literally 'let go' of matter and – poof – gone just like the Bible says in 2 Peter 3:12."
As you can see, Christians are using social networking websites to share their faith with people, some of whom live on the other side of the world. Does God want you to join them in declaring God's truth unto the ends of the earth?
Heavenly Father, I thank You for the many Christians who are laboring in a mission field that is unique to our time in history. Amen.
COSMOLOGIST PAUL DAVIES ON FAITH
Colossians 4:6
"Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man."
I could easily fill up today's entire Creation Moments broadcast by listing the scientific accomplishments and affiliations of Paul Davies. His research interests span the fields of cosmology, quantum field theory and astrobiology.
An opinion piece he wrote in 2010 for the New York Times angered many evolutionists when he argued that the faith scientists have in the immutability of physical laws has origins in Christian theology. Davies responded to their criticisms by saying, "I was dismayed at how many of my detractors completely misunderstood what I had written. Indeed, their responses bore the hallmarks of a superficial knee-jerk reaction to the sight of the words 'science' and 'faith' juxtaposed."
Well, what Davies wrote in London's Guardian newspaper in 1982 would have angered them even more. "Something strange is happening to the universe," he wrote. "In the words of the astronomer Fred Hoyle, it is as though somebody has been monkeying with the laws of nature. A once-popular argument with theologians was to point out how astonishingly well ordered the universe is, how harmoniously its components dovetail together. All this, it was reasoned, must be the result of design, and therefore evidence of a Great Designer. Yesterday's theologians would have been delighted with today's discovery of just how delicately balanced the cosmic order turns out to be."
Though Davies freely admits he is "not a religious man," he brings a calm and mature voice to the debate over origins that other evolutionists would be wise to follow.
Heavenly Father, I pray that the debate over origins would take place in a dialog that is free from emotional outbursts and namecalling. Let our discussions kindle more light and less heat. Amen.
COULD YOU SPEND WINTER OUTSIDE?
Psalm 104:27-28
"These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat in due season. That thou givest them they gather: thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good."
Popular science magazines and school textbooks have, for more than a century now, repeated the theme that mankind evolved from the animal kingdom. Have you ever stopped to think what this means?
Those of us who live where the winters are very cold know fully well that human beings could not survive outside as the animals do. We need the protection of clothes and shelter, but the Creator has provided for the winter needs of the animal kingdom. Dogs for example, if living outside, develop a thicker coat in winter. Does human body hair become thicker under cold conditions? Not at all.
Many animals store fat to carry them through the winter, and their metabolic rate slows down so that they require less food. The fat they store and their metabolism are carefully coordinated and are often very different even between males and females of the same species. The bottom line is that the animals survive the winter and finish up in the springtime looking sleek and trim. Just the reverse usually happens in the case of man. We tend to eat more in winter, and in springtime often have the waistline to show for it!
If human beings had evolved from the animals, we would expect a much greater similarity between how animals and humans cope with winter. No, human beings never have been part of the animal kingdom.
Dear Father, You care and provide for all Your creatures. Grant seasonable weather this winter for the good of the Earth and all living things as well as for the productivity of the soil next growing season. Amen.
CREATED MALE AND FEMALE
Genesis 6:19
"And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female."
One of our Creation Moments listeners has written to ask how evolutionists explain the development of male and female. The problem is, if a mutation produced the first male, it isn't likely that another mutation would have produced the first female at the same time and in the same neighborhood. The writer further pointed out that studies now show that with the current genetic errors we all carry within us, one male and one female would not be enough to establish a new population of male and female creatures.
The question is important. Evolutionists have admitted that their theory does not have a satisfactory explanation for how male and female could have developed. One evolutionist even noted that because evolutionists have no credible explanation, most textbooks simply ignore the question as obvious as it is.
But evolutionists also point out that the problems in explaining the origins of male and female are even greater than those already mentioned. They now admit that their studies show that if creatures progress by evolution, creatures who reproduce sexually would be at a disadvantage. Even worse, sexual reproduction is, as one evolutionist put it, designed to weed out the very genetic variations that supposedly cause evolution!
It is difficult to understand, then, how anyone could say that evolution offers a better explanation of life than the Bible's creation account.
Dear Father, I thank You that in Your wisdom You have made us male and female and that You have done so in a way which confounds man's rebellious wisdom. Help this fact be a witness to Your glory. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Acts 1:11b
"Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven."
Though we are aware of no confirmed reports of meatballs falling from the sky during a rainstorm, there have been hundreds of reports of strange things falling from the clouds during strong storms. And sometimes, this even includes living animals.
According to the Weather Channel, one such instance happened in 2013 when live crabs fell on the community of Lynn Haven, Florida. Another storm of living creatures happened on June 28, 1957, near Thomasville, Alabama. This was when thousands of live fish, frogs, and crayfish fell from the sky during a heavy rain. It was thought that an F2 tornado fifteen miles to the south was responsible for this strange phenomenon.
Creationist Donald DeYoung writes about a storm in 1984 that dumped live six-inch flounder in a London suburb. Rains of flightless animals have been reported throughout history. In the first century AD, Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder documented storms of frogs and fishes. Indeed, the most common type of creature to fall from the sky is fish. It is thought that they get picked up by waterspouts and are then dropped over land, sometimes miles away.
While there are hundreds of stories like these from all over the world, the most unusual living creatures ever to appear out of the sky were horses of fire just before Elijah the prophet was taken up by a whirlwind into the heavens. But even that extraordinary historic event will pale in comparison to the return of Jesus Christ in the clouds.
Heavenly Father, just as Your Son ascended to heaven, I know that He will return to the Earth in the same way. Lord, I eagerly await that most blessed of days. Amen.
COME OUT, COME OUT, WHEREVER YOU ARE!
Psalm 119:114
"Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word."
It has long been known that electric eels are able to immobilize prey with a jolt of electricity. But new research, reported in the journal Science, has shown that eels also use their electric organs to make fish come out of hiding. A researcher from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, found that the electric discharges from eels caused the muscles of their prey to twitch, making them easier to capture by revealing their whereabouts.
Dr. Kenneth Catania, who led the study, set up small aquatic arenas to test the eels' hunting abilities – putting an eel and a fish into the same tank. As he discovered, the eels' electric pulses directly activated the nerves that controlled their prey's muscles. "You and I couldn't activate every muscle in our bodies at once," he said, "but the eels can do that [remotely] in their prey."
Dr. Catania noticed that hungry eels would emit pairs of pulses when their potential meal was out of view. These "doublets", as they are called, generate very rapid and strong muscle contraction, causing the fish to jump and bringing them out of hiding.
Just like the hapless fish in the tank, we have powerful enemies who seek our destruction. But we know we also have an all-powerful God who protects and preserves us. In Psalm 143:9, the writer cries out: "Deliver me, O LORD, from mine enemies: I flee unto thee to hide me." While our enemies may be many and strong, our God is stronger still.
Heavenly Father, thank You for being a very present help when I am in trouble. When I am under attack, I know I can turn to You. Amen.
CONFRONTATION WITH A RADICAL ATHEIST
2 Peter 3:12
"Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?"
Creation Moments and friends of our ministry spend countless hours sharing their faith and the truth of biblical creation on social networking websites. One such creationist, Allen Dunckley, Th.D. recently ran into a person he describes as a radical atheist. The atheist laid down a challenge with these words: "Demonstrate a causal link to why your god needs to exist or does exist."
Dr. Dunckley was quick to respond with a question of his own: "Can you explain to us how is it that the positively charged protons in the nucleus of an atom don't repel each other since it is a fact that like charges do so? By the laws of physics, the atomic nucleus should not exist, yet it does."
He continued: "This fact is consistent with Colossians 1:17 that says, 'by Him (Jesus Christ) all things consist.' 'Consist' is from a Greek word which means 'held together.' So here is demonstrable empirical fact that God exists and that His existence is what holds the very fabric of matter together. So the existence of the material universe is dependent on the existence of the Creator Himself. All that needs to be done to destroy the universe is for God to literally 'let go' of matter and – poof – gone just like the Bible says in 2 Peter 3:12."
As you can see, Christians are using social networking websites to share their faith with people, some of whom live on the other side of the world. Does God want you to join them in declaring God's truth unto the ends of the earth?
Heavenly Father, I thank You for the many Christians who are laboring in a mission field that is unique to our time in history. Amen.
COSMOLOGIST PAUL DAVIES ON FAITH
Colossians 4:6
"Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man."
I could easily fill up today's entire Creation Moments broadcast by listing the scientific accomplishments and affiliations of Paul Davies. His research interests span the fields of cosmology, quantum field theory and astrobiology.
An opinion piece he wrote in 2010 for the New York Times angered many evolutionists when he argued that the faith scientists have in the immutability of physical laws has origins in Christian theology. Davies responded to their criticisms by saying, "I was dismayed at how many of my detractors completely misunderstood what I had written. Indeed, their responses bore the hallmarks of a superficial knee-jerk reaction to the sight of the words 'science' and 'faith' juxtaposed."
Well, what Davies wrote in London's Guardian newspaper in 1982 would have angered them even more. "Something strange is happening to the universe," he wrote. "In the words of the astronomer Fred Hoyle, it is as though somebody has been monkeying with the laws of nature. A once-popular argument with theologians was to point out how astonishingly well ordered the universe is, how harmoniously its components dovetail together. All this, it was reasoned, must be the result of design, and therefore evidence of a Great Designer. Yesterday's theologians would have been delighted with today's discovery of just how delicately balanced the cosmic order turns out to be."
Though Davies freely admits he is "not a religious man," he brings a calm and mature voice to the debate over origins that other evolutionists would be wise to follow.
Heavenly Father, I pray that the debate over origins would take place in a dialog that is free from emotional outbursts and namecalling. Let our discussions kindle more light and less heat. Amen.
COULD YOU SPEND WINTER OUTSIDE?
Psalm 104:27-28
"These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat in due season. That thou givest them they gather: thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good."
Popular science magazines and school textbooks have, for more than a century now, repeated the theme that mankind evolved from the animal kingdom. Have you ever stopped to think what this means?
Those of us who live where the winters are very cold know fully well that human beings could not survive outside as the animals do. We need the protection of clothes and shelter, but the Creator has provided for the winter needs of the animal kingdom. Dogs for example, if living outside, develop a thicker coat in winter. Does human body hair become thicker under cold conditions? Not at all.
Many animals store fat to carry them through the winter, and their metabolic rate slows down so that they require less food. The fat they store and their metabolism are carefully coordinated and are often very different even between males and females of the same species. The bottom line is that the animals survive the winter and finish up in the springtime looking sleek and trim. Just the reverse usually happens in the case of man. We tend to eat more in winter, and in springtime often have the waistline to show for it!
If human beings had evolved from the animals, we would expect a much greater similarity between how animals and humans cope with winter. No, human beings never have been part of the animal kingdom.
Dear Father, You care and provide for all Your creatures. Grant seasonable weather this winter for the good of the Earth and all living things as well as for the productivity of the soil next growing season. Amen.
CREATED MALE AND FEMALE
Genesis 6:19
"And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female."
One of our Creation Moments listeners has written to ask how evolutionists explain the development of male and female. The problem is, if a mutation produced the first male, it isn't likely that another mutation would have produced the first female at the same time and in the same neighborhood. The writer further pointed out that studies now show that with the current genetic errors we all carry within us, one male and one female would not be enough to establish a new population of male and female creatures.
The question is important. Evolutionists have admitted that their theory does not have a satisfactory explanation for how male and female could have developed. One evolutionist even noted that because evolutionists have no credible explanation, most textbooks simply ignore the question as obvious as it is.
But evolutionists also point out that the problems in explaining the origins of male and female are even greater than those already mentioned. They now admit that their studies show that if creatures progress by evolution, creatures who reproduce sexually would be at a disadvantage. Even worse, sexual reproduction is, as one evolutionist put it, designed to weed out the very genetic variations that supposedly cause evolution!
It is difficult to understand, then, how anyone could say that evolution offers a better explanation of life than the Bible's creation account.
Dear Father, I thank You that in Your wisdom You have made us male and female and that You have done so in a way which confounds man's rebellious wisdom. Help this fact be a witness to Your glory. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
JAMES CLERK MAXWELL
1 Corinthians 2:5
"That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God."
Albert Einstein said that James Clerk Maxwell made greater contributions to physics than anyone except Isaac Newton.
Maxwell developed complex theoretical and mathematical explanations for all the forces in the universe except gravity and nuclear forces. He also made scientific contributions in the fields of thermodynamics and mathematics. In other words, Maxwell was a scientist of gigantic proportions who remains greatly respected today.
By today's standards, Maxwell would be called a "fundamentalist." Maxwell lived at the same time as Charles Darwin and was very aware of evolutionary theory. He felt strongly that evolution was anti scientific and wrote a powerful and important refutation of evolutionary writings. He also offered a very careful mathematical refutation of the theory that the solar system had evolved from a cloud of dust and gas.
The great scientist Maxwell believed that Jesus Christ is the Savior that God has provided to deliver humanity from the results of sin - including eternal death. A writing of his, found after his death, states that the motivation for his work was that God had created all things just as Genesis says. And since God has created humans in His image, scientific study is a fit activity for one's lifework.
Heavenly Father, I pray today for the work of those in science who are convinced that You are indeed the Creator as described in Genesis. Though they are opposed by men, bless their work and move more of our Christian young people to follow in their footsteps. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Photo: A young James Clerk Maxwell at Trinity College, Cambridge. He is holding one of his color wheels.
1 Corinthians 2:5
"That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God."
Albert Einstein said that James Clerk Maxwell made greater contributions to physics than anyone except Isaac Newton.
Maxwell developed complex theoretical and mathematical explanations for all the forces in the universe except gravity and nuclear forces. He also made scientific contributions in the fields of thermodynamics and mathematics. In other words, Maxwell was a scientist of gigantic proportions who remains greatly respected today.
By today's standards, Maxwell would be called a "fundamentalist." Maxwell lived at the same time as Charles Darwin and was very aware of evolutionary theory. He felt strongly that evolution was anti scientific and wrote a powerful and important refutation of evolutionary writings. He also offered a very careful mathematical refutation of the theory that the solar system had evolved from a cloud of dust and gas.
The great scientist Maxwell believed that Jesus Christ is the Savior that God has provided to deliver humanity from the results of sin - including eternal death. A writing of his, found after his death, states that the motivation for his work was that God had created all things just as Genesis says. And since God has created humans in His image, scientific study is a fit activity for one's lifework.
Heavenly Father, I pray today for the work of those in science who are convinced that You are indeed the Creator as described in Genesis. Though they are opposed by men, bless their work and move more of our Christian young people to follow in their footsteps. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Photo: A young James Clerk Maxwell at Trinity College, Cambridge. He is holding one of his color wheels.
SIR ISAAC NEWTON
Proverbs 2:6
"For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding."
If Isaac Newton or someone else had never made the discoveries Newton made, our world would be very different today. He is one of the most important scientists in all of history. What many people don't know is that this great scientist was a creationist. He actually wrote more Bible commentaries than he did scientific papers.
Newton is best known for his discoveries of the law of universal gravitation and the three laws of motion. Newton also built the first reflecting telescope, and he developed calculus into the branch of mathematics it is today. He also researched the nature of light and explained how white light is made up of many different colors.
Newton was an avid student of the Bible and wrote papers defending Bishop Ussher's dating of the earth at about 6,000 years. He also defended the literal six day creation. Although Newton did not personally accept the doctrine of the Trinity, he did take on the atheists of his day, offering strong defenses for the biblical view of history. He was one of the first creation scientists to suggest that most of the sedimentary rocks of the earth are the result of the Genesis Flood.
Next time you hear someone say that science and the Bible don't mix, think of Sir Isaac Newton.
Heavenly Father, give me a mind which seeks to be closer to You and to learn more about how You have made all things. Though I may not have the understanding of some scientists, I desire more reason to praise You. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Photo: Statue of Isaac Newton at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History. Note the apple at his feet. Courtesy of Andrew Gray. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
Proverbs 2:6
"For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding."
If Isaac Newton or someone else had never made the discoveries Newton made, our world would be very different today. He is one of the most important scientists in all of history. What many people don't know is that this great scientist was a creationist. He actually wrote more Bible commentaries than he did scientific papers.
Newton is best known for his discoveries of the law of universal gravitation and the three laws of motion. Newton also built the first reflecting telescope, and he developed calculus into the branch of mathematics it is today. He also researched the nature of light and explained how white light is made up of many different colors.
Newton was an avid student of the Bible and wrote papers defending Bishop Ussher's dating of the earth at about 6,000 years. He also defended the literal six day creation. Although Newton did not personally accept the doctrine of the Trinity, he did take on the atheists of his day, offering strong defenses for the biblical view of history. He was one of the first creation scientists to suggest that most of the sedimentary rocks of the earth are the result of the Genesis Flood.
Next time you hear someone say that science and the Bible don't mix, think of Sir Isaac Newton.
Heavenly Father, give me a mind which seeks to be closer to You and to learn more about how You have made all things. Though I may not have the understanding of some scientists, I desire more reason to praise You. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Photo: Statue of Isaac Newton at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History. Note the apple at his feet. Courtesy of Andrew Gray. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
ROBERT BOYLE: CREATION SCIENTIST
Ephesians 2:10
"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."
We often hear today that no true scientists are creationists because science disproves creation. The truth is, most of the founders of the various disciplines of modern science were creationists, as are a great many scientists today.
One of the most famous scientists of all time was Robert Boyle. Boyle, who lived at the close of the 17th century, did pioneering work in both chemistry and physics. Perhaps you are familiar with "Boyle's Law," which relates the pressure, temperature and volume of gas. "Boyle's Law" is studied by every high school student today.
Boyle was also a completely dedicated Christian. He contributed a great deal of his money to the work of translating the Bible into languages that did not yet have the Scriptures. Boyle was also very concerned about those who, in his own day, thought science could prove the Bible wrong. These people were the forerunners of modern evolutionists. In order to combat this idea in science, Boyle, with others, founded the Royal Society of London as one of the earliest modern creationist organizations. He also funded the famous "Boyle Lectures" in his will, stipulating that these lectures were to offer scientific viewpoints that upheld the truth of the Bible.
Boyle called science a religious task that has the job of learning more about the workmanship of the Creator.
I thank You, Lord, for the scientific contributions and the example of faith provided by many of the great scientists like Robert Boyle. I ask that You would stir the faith and talents of Your people today so that we may see many more servants like Robert Boyle in Science. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Photo: Plaque at the site of Boyle and Hooke's experiments in Oxford.
Ephesians 2:10
"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."
We often hear today that no true scientists are creationists because science disproves creation. The truth is, most of the founders of the various disciplines of modern science were creationists, as are a great many scientists today.
One of the most famous scientists of all time was Robert Boyle. Boyle, who lived at the close of the 17th century, did pioneering work in both chemistry and physics. Perhaps you are familiar with "Boyle's Law," which relates the pressure, temperature and volume of gas. "Boyle's Law" is studied by every high school student today.
Boyle was also a completely dedicated Christian. He contributed a great deal of his money to the work of translating the Bible into languages that did not yet have the Scriptures. Boyle was also very concerned about those who, in his own day, thought science could prove the Bible wrong. These people were the forerunners of modern evolutionists. In order to combat this idea in science, Boyle, with others, founded the Royal Society of London as one of the earliest modern creationist organizations. He also funded the famous "Boyle Lectures" in his will, stipulating that these lectures were to offer scientific viewpoints that upheld the truth of the Bible.
Boyle called science a religious task that has the job of learning more about the workmanship of the Creator.
I thank You, Lord, for the scientific contributions and the example of faith provided by many of the great scientists like Robert Boyle. I ask that You would stir the faith and talents of Your people today so that we may see many more servants like Robert Boyle in Science. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Photo: Plaque at the site of Boyle and Hooke's experiments in Oxford.
DARWIN'S PUZZLE
John 18:38a
"Pilate saith unto him, What is truth?"
How do you know that what you think you know is really true? Charles Darwin wondered just that, and the answer to his question sheds a lot of light on the origins debate today.
Since Darwin had no formal training in science, he made his case for evolution from philosophy, not from science. Philosophy and theology, after all, was the area in which he was trained. This background led him to ask a very important question. In Darwin's own words, ".the horrid doubt always arises whether the convictions of man's mind, which was developed from the mind of lower animals, are of any value or at all trustworthy. Would anyone trust in the convictions of a monkey's mind, if there were any convictions in such a mind?"
In other words, what Darwin was saying was that if his theory was true, it was the product of a mind not much greater than a monkey's. And who, including Darwin himself, could trust such a mind? The only way in which human thoughts might be separated far above the animals is if creation is true. Either way, the logical conclusion of Darwin's puzzle is that creation is true and evolution is untrustworthy!
It is no accident that as the teaching that man came from lower animals has grown, the number of people who act like animals has also grown. Darwin's own statement seems to show the twisted logic that results from evolution.
Dear Father, I pray that our age - which asks with Pilate, "What is truth?" - may become more open to Your Word, the only truth, as it learns to despair of man's wisdom. In Jesus' Name and for His Glory. Amen.
Photo: Limestone block discovered in 1961 with Pilate's tribute in Latin to Tiberius. Courtesy of Marion Doss. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.
John 18:38a
"Pilate saith unto him, What is truth?"
How do you know that what you think you know is really true? Charles Darwin wondered just that, and the answer to his question sheds a lot of light on the origins debate today.
Since Darwin had no formal training in science, he made his case for evolution from philosophy, not from science. Philosophy and theology, after all, was the area in which he was trained. This background led him to ask a very important question. In Darwin's own words, ".the horrid doubt always arises whether the convictions of man's mind, which was developed from the mind of lower animals, are of any value or at all trustworthy. Would anyone trust in the convictions of a monkey's mind, if there were any convictions in such a mind?"
In other words, what Darwin was saying was that if his theory was true, it was the product of a mind not much greater than a monkey's. And who, including Darwin himself, could trust such a mind? The only way in which human thoughts might be separated far above the animals is if creation is true. Either way, the logical conclusion of Darwin's puzzle is that creation is true and evolution is untrustworthy!
It is no accident that as the teaching that man came from lower animals has grown, the number of people who act like animals has also grown. Darwin's own statement seems to show the twisted logic that results from evolution.
Dear Father, I pray that our age - which asks with Pilate, "What is truth?" - may become more open to Your Word, the only truth, as it learns to despair of man's wisdom. In Jesus' Name and for His Glory. Amen.
Photo: Limestone block discovered in 1961 with Pilate's tribute in Latin to Tiberius. Courtesy of Marion Doss. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.
ARE BIRTH DEFECTS GOD'S PLAN?
Genesis 3:8
"And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees in the garden."
Most creationists are pro life because they see conception and birth as one of the clearest evidences of God's original role as Creator. Scripture is filled with examples showing that God not only created the heavens and earth in six days, just as reported in several places in Scripture, but that He is still intimately involved with His creation.
In other words, God did not create the heavens and earth and then leave the earth to spin off on its own in space on automatic pilot as mindless natural laws took over. This means that there is no such thing as chance. Can birth defects, therefore, be ascribed to God's will?
The Bible also tells us that God created a perfect creation, with no sin, death or defect of any sort. It was we humans who changed the creation when we sinned by abandoning God. He never left us. Unfortunately, our sinful condition brings its own results - including more sin, genetic defects and death. Jesus' disciples once asked Him about a man born blind, "Master who did sin, this man or his parents?" Jesus' answer shows us God's intimate involvement in human life. He told the disciples that the man was born blind to show forth the works of God. Then Jesus miraculously healed his blindness.
There is no worse thing for us than sin and its results now and forever. But the lesson is if we allow God, our Creator, to work, there is nothing so evil that it cannot, in His hands, show forth His mighty works!
I lament, Lord, that because of sin, You no longer walk and talk with us as You did with our first parents before the fall. But I thank You that through Jesus Christ, we are restored to a relationship with You and that You speak with us each day in Your Word. Amen.
Photo: 17th century depiction at Stokesay Castle of the serpent that tempted Eve. Courtesy of Nick Hubbard. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
Genesis 3:8
"And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees in the garden."
Most creationists are pro life because they see conception and birth as one of the clearest evidences of God's original role as Creator. Scripture is filled with examples showing that God not only created the heavens and earth in six days, just as reported in several places in Scripture, but that He is still intimately involved with His creation.
In other words, God did not create the heavens and earth and then leave the earth to spin off on its own in space on automatic pilot as mindless natural laws took over. This means that there is no such thing as chance. Can birth defects, therefore, be ascribed to God's will?
The Bible also tells us that God created a perfect creation, with no sin, death or defect of any sort. It was we humans who changed the creation when we sinned by abandoning God. He never left us. Unfortunately, our sinful condition brings its own results - including more sin, genetic defects and death. Jesus' disciples once asked Him about a man born blind, "Master who did sin, this man or his parents?" Jesus' answer shows us God's intimate involvement in human life. He told the disciples that the man was born blind to show forth the works of God. Then Jesus miraculously healed his blindness.
There is no worse thing for us than sin and its results now and forever. But the lesson is if we allow God, our Creator, to work, there is nothing so evil that it cannot, in His hands, show forth His mighty works!
I lament, Lord, that because of sin, You no longer walk and talk with us as You did with our first parents before the fall. But I thank You that through Jesus Christ, we are restored to a relationship with You and that You speak with us each day in Your Word. Amen.
Photo: 17th century depiction at Stokesay Castle of the serpent that tempted Eve. Courtesy of Nick Hubbard. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
CREATION MOMENTS: 6.22.19 - PT.5
BLACK OR WHITE?
Zechariah 6:6
"The black horses which are therein go forth into the north country; and the white go forth after them; and the grisled go forth toward the south country."
Are zebras white with black stripes or are they black with white stripes? If you're thinking that zebras just have a coat of two colors and that they don't have a "background" color at all, think again. Embryologists tell us that the zebra's background color is black and that their stripes and bellies are white additions.
But scientists are now trying to find out why zebras have stripes at all. The best they can tell, the stripes may make zebras less appetizing to large biting flies that often carry fatal diseases. Using painted horses, Swedish scientists found that zebra stripes disrupt light patterns that tsetse flies and horseflies use to find food and water.
One of the authors of the study, evolutionary ecologist Susanne Åkesson, said the study is being used to show that the zebra's stripes are a result of evolution and natural selection.
As we've seen so many times before, she will not see this as an example of an ingenious design by a Master Designer. Evolutionists are taught to believe in no design and no designer. Creationists, on the other hand, accept what common sense tells us. We can't help but see a most magnificent design in what God has created.
Since the Bible has not been proved wrong about anything, we can know for certain that zebras were painted, as it were, by an Artist who cares for all His creatures – especially us!
Thank You, Jesus, for creating the zebra, a creature that reminds me of the Bible verse: "And with his stripes we are healed." Just as You provided for the zebra in this life, so have You provided for me in the life to come. Amen.
BRITAIN'S DINOSAURS
Genesis 8:19
"Every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatsoever creepeth upon the earth, after their kinds, went forth out of the ark."
Many lines of evidence support the Bible's claim that Noah saved two of every kind of creature on the Ark, including dinosaurs. This means that humans and dinosaurs lived at the same time rather than separated by millions of years, as evolutionists claim. Long before modern science discovered dinosaurs, many histories offered descriptions of these creatures.
Britain's history contains hundreds of stories about the large reptiles we now call dinosaurs. Even if many of these accounts are not accurate, it is unlikely that so many similar stories were invented. According to ancient historical accounts, a large reptile killed and ate King Morvidus in about 336 B.C. In 1405, villagers near Sudbury drove what they called a large dragon into a swamp after the creature terrorized the area. It had killed and eaten a shepherd, then proceeded to eat the sheep. It was said that it had a huge body, a crested head with sharp teeth and a long tail. As recently as a hundred years ago, the older Welsh residents of Penllin in Glamorgan reported winged reptiles that lived in a colony in the nearby woods. They were described as brightly colored and reportedly stole the villagers' chickens.
It would appear that the reason most dinosaurs became extinct after the Flood has as much to do with human expansion as it does with a cooler, dryer Earth. But these widespread stories are just what we would expect if the biblical history is true.
Dear Father, I praise You for Your mercy that saved mankind twice. Amen.
BUILT-IN ERROR CORRECTION
Proverbs 3:11-12
"My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth."
It sounds like science fiction to suggest that if someone typed your name into a computer and misspelled it, the computer would find and correct it. This would need a very sophisticated software program.
But did you know there is an even more sophisticated information storage and transmission system in each of your cells – your genetic code? Not only does your genetic code store far more information in a microscopic space than can our largest computers, it also has a built-in error correction system. Scientists have discovered a number of key enzymes within the cell that have just one job: find and correct errors in the genetic code. Those errors can creep into the code because of radiation, certain chemicals, or other outside forces. The enzymes faithfully correct any errors, preventing mutations – the same mutations that scientists thought could cause evolution. One expert on enzymes has stated that science has no explanation for how such sophistication could have evolved. Neither is there any explanation for how life could have continued without this genetic proof-reading and correction capability.
Only our Creator could have been wise enough to design an information system that can correct its own errors. Even we human beings have not figured out how to do this with our much simpler computers. Certainly, blind chance could never do what the best of human intelligence can do!
Dear Father, just as You have designed a chemical system to remedy errors in our genetics, Your plan of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ's atoning work gives the full remedy for sin, including a new life. Grant me Your Holy Spirit so that I may be enabled to better live that new life You give me. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
CANADA'S FOSSIL FOREST
Ecclesiastes 11:3
"If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth: and if the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be."
Axel Heiberg Island in Northern Canada is the closest point of land to the North Pole. The landscape is completely barren today, but long ago a dense forest of large meta-sequoia trees grew there. At that time, the climate must have been like Florida today. The stumps of these "fossil trees" have not mineralized and are still wood – that is, cellulose. They are claimed to be 45 million years old.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University studied the hydrogen and oxygen isotopes of the cellulose. These lightweight isotopes are normally quickly lost by evaporation from dead wood, but to their surprise, the researchers discovered an unusually high content. This means that their rate of evaporation was extremely low. In other words, not only did the trees grow in a humid climate, but this climate continued a long time after the trees were destroyed. Further, cellulose is quickly broken down by bacterial action if exposed to air so that the trees were buried rapidly, deeply and a lot more recently than 45 million years ago.
Creation Moments happened to be present when a sample of this wood was used to calibrate the equipment at a well-known Carbon 14 dating laboratory. Believing the wood to be 45 million years old, it should contain no Carbon 14 but, in fact, it did and dated at only 41 thousand years!
Heavenly Father, You have given us so much evidence for a recent creation and Your sustaining hand upon it. Please open the eyes of those who would willfully ignore these signs. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
CATERPILLARS REMEMBER
Matthew 6:19
"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal."
The metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a moth or butterfly completely restructures the creature internally and externally. Scientists at Georgetown University in Washington D.C. wondered whether that included the caterpillar's brain as well.
To find out, they placed tobacco hornworm caterpillars inside a hollow tube shaped like a Y. Scientists then put a bad-smelling gas in one of the arms of the Y. When a caterpillar went down that arm of the tube it received a mild shock. Since the caterpillars go through several molts, researchers performed the experiment on caterpillars at various stages of their moltings.
They found that caterpillars that underwent the experience before their fifth and final molt did not remember their experience with the gas after metamorphosis. However, 77 percent of those caterpillars that encountered the gas and experienced a shock after their final molt remembered their dislike of the gas after metamorphosis. Scientists point out that caterpillars, moths and butterflies are not social creatures. This means they have more need for memory because there is no division of labor among them.
Just because the Bible associates moths with decay doesn't mean that God didn't provide them with all they need to live successful lives. To God, no creature is unimportant.
Father, I thank You that You are generous with Your gifts. Let me never forget Your goodness. Amen.
CHICKADEE-DEE-DEE DANGER
Psalm 9:20
"And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head."
Millions of North Americans are familiar with the call of the Black-Capped chickadee: "Chicka-dee". However, most bird-watchers know that the little chickadee communicates danger with its "chickadee-dee-dee" call. Bird-watchers also know that chickens use different warnings for dangers from the air or from the ground.
Scientists decided to see if chickadees used specialized calls for different dangers. In their first experiments they used a stuffed hawk to see what the chickadees in an outdoor aviary would do. However, they were only fooled once, and after that researchers had to use live hawks. After studying over 5,000 responses, a pattern emerged. Small, agile raptors like hawks are more dangerous to chickadees than, say, a large, horned owl, which the chickadees can easily evade. When confronted by a smaller raptor, the birds' "chicka" call added up to four "dee"s in rapid succession, instead of two more leisurely "dee"s. Even more "dee"s might be added if the chickadees evaluated the danger as greater. Most frightening to the little birds was a pygmy owl that rated 23 "dee"s.
God cares for all His creatures and, knowing that predation would enter the creation with man's sin, provided them with ways to warn each other. He also gave man His Word to warn us how to avoid sin and how to escape from it through Jesus Christ, should we become entrapped.
I thank You, Lord, for Your protection from all the dangers we face, especially the danger of our sin. Amen.
CHOCOLATE CHILI?
Genesis 1:29
"And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat."
It has been written against, outlawed, and is the original "food of the gods." Modern science is finding that chocolate seems to offer some positive health benefits.
When Cortéz and his soldiers came to the New World, Montezuma offered them his people's favorite hot chocolate. But Montezuma's people didn't add sugar to the chocolate. Instead, they added ground-up hot peppers. This was real hot chocolate! The Spanish thought it was terrible stuff. Luckily for chocolate lovers, they did take some of the beans back to Europe. There it dawned on someone to leave out the peppers and add sugar instead. By the eighteenth-century, chocolate houses had become so popular that brewers of alcoholic beverages demanded legal restrictions against chocolate because it was ruining their business.
Today, Americans eat an average of 10 pounds of chocolate per person per year. Chocolate also contains a mild anti-depressant as well as theobromine, a unique substance that perks you up and calms you down at the same time. And contrary to popular thought, chocolate is not addicting.
While chocolate may seem a trivial subject, it has given those who like it a lot of enjoyment. It is one of those gifts God has given us that makes life a little more enjoyable – but is totally unnecessary. And this offers us a lesson about His gracious thoughts toward man.
Dear Lord Jesus Christ, You made all that is. I thank You that You have made some things which we don't require, but which cause us to rejoice in Your generosity. Help me never to misuse Your good gifts. Amen.
CLIMATE CHANGE REPORT RELEASED ONE DAY TOO EARLY
Genesis 8:22
"While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease."
On the last day of March, 2014, the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued a report warning that the effects of climate change are already occurring on all continents. They went on to predict that mankind would face catastrophic consequences if we don't take drastic measures right now. But as you'll see in a moment, the report was released one day too early.
Why do we say that? Because April 1st would have been a far more suitable date for a foolish announcement with no substance to back it up. The announcement was a brash attempt to "sell" climate change by stressing the sheer number of "experts" who prepared the report.
Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of the IPCC, stressed that "none of this [the report] would be possible without the dedication of the Co-Chairs of Working Group II and the hundreds of scientists and experts who volunteered their time to produce this report, as well as the more than 1,700 expert reviewers worldwide who contributed their invaluable oversight."
After the IPCC was caught cooking the books in November of 2009, in 2011 and on other occasions, Creation Moments can't help but be skeptical of any report that tries to convince us it is true by citing the number of scientists who participated in its preparation. The truth is, there are thousands of scientists who are skeptical of man-made climate change. But like creationists, they are ignored and ridiculed.
Heavenly Father, I know that so-called climate change is not something to be feared. I also know I can trust You to preserve our planet until the day that Your Son returns. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
CLIMATE MODELS WILDLY EXAGGERATED
Genesis 8:22
"While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease."
What scares you more – the polar ice caps melting and a worldwide cataclysm or the increased prices of everything you buy because of exaggerated global-warming claims? What upsets thinking people are all of the false and preposterous claims about global warming they hear on the nightly news.
A new study in the journal Nature Climate Change compared 117 climate predictions made in the 1990s to the actual amount of warming. Out of 117 predictions, only three were roughly accurate, while 114 seriously overestimated the amount of warming. On average, the predictions forecasted two times more global warming than actually occurred.
"It's a real problem," said climate scientist John Christy, a professor at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. "It shows that there really is something that needs to be fixed in the climate models." He added, "I looked at seventy-three climate models going back to 1979 and every single one predicted more warming than happened in the real world."
Exaggeration and scare tactics seem to be the name of their game. Remember how in 1972, Arctic specialist Bernt Balchen said that a general warming trend over the North Pole is melting the polar ice cap and may produce an ice-free Arctic Ocean by the year 2000? This and many other failed predictions reveal that climate science forecasting is even less reliable than the weatherman on your TV.
No, Christians need not fear anything, especially global warming!
Lord, help us to be responsible stewards of this planet You have given us. And yet, make us mindful of the fact that the Earth is not to be worshiped, for You alone are worthy of our praise! In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Zechariah 6:6
"The black horses which are therein go forth into the north country; and the white go forth after them; and the grisled go forth toward the south country."
Are zebras white with black stripes or are they black with white stripes? If you're thinking that zebras just have a coat of two colors and that they don't have a "background" color at all, think again. Embryologists tell us that the zebra's background color is black and that their stripes and bellies are white additions.
But scientists are now trying to find out why zebras have stripes at all. The best they can tell, the stripes may make zebras less appetizing to large biting flies that often carry fatal diseases. Using painted horses, Swedish scientists found that zebra stripes disrupt light patterns that tsetse flies and horseflies use to find food and water.
One of the authors of the study, evolutionary ecologist Susanne Åkesson, said the study is being used to show that the zebra's stripes are a result of evolution and natural selection.
As we've seen so many times before, she will not see this as an example of an ingenious design by a Master Designer. Evolutionists are taught to believe in no design and no designer. Creationists, on the other hand, accept what common sense tells us. We can't help but see a most magnificent design in what God has created.
Since the Bible has not been proved wrong about anything, we can know for certain that zebras were painted, as it were, by an Artist who cares for all His creatures – especially us!
Thank You, Jesus, for creating the zebra, a creature that reminds me of the Bible verse: "And with his stripes we are healed." Just as You provided for the zebra in this life, so have You provided for me in the life to come. Amen.
BRITAIN'S DINOSAURS
Genesis 8:19
"Every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatsoever creepeth upon the earth, after their kinds, went forth out of the ark."
Many lines of evidence support the Bible's claim that Noah saved two of every kind of creature on the Ark, including dinosaurs. This means that humans and dinosaurs lived at the same time rather than separated by millions of years, as evolutionists claim. Long before modern science discovered dinosaurs, many histories offered descriptions of these creatures.
Britain's history contains hundreds of stories about the large reptiles we now call dinosaurs. Even if many of these accounts are not accurate, it is unlikely that so many similar stories were invented. According to ancient historical accounts, a large reptile killed and ate King Morvidus in about 336 B.C. In 1405, villagers near Sudbury drove what they called a large dragon into a swamp after the creature terrorized the area. It had killed and eaten a shepherd, then proceeded to eat the sheep. It was said that it had a huge body, a crested head with sharp teeth and a long tail. As recently as a hundred years ago, the older Welsh residents of Penllin in Glamorgan reported winged reptiles that lived in a colony in the nearby woods. They were described as brightly colored and reportedly stole the villagers' chickens.
It would appear that the reason most dinosaurs became extinct after the Flood has as much to do with human expansion as it does with a cooler, dryer Earth. But these widespread stories are just what we would expect if the biblical history is true.
Dear Father, I praise You for Your mercy that saved mankind twice. Amen.
BUILT-IN ERROR CORRECTION
Proverbs 3:11-12
"My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth."
It sounds like science fiction to suggest that if someone typed your name into a computer and misspelled it, the computer would find and correct it. This would need a very sophisticated software program.
But did you know there is an even more sophisticated information storage and transmission system in each of your cells – your genetic code? Not only does your genetic code store far more information in a microscopic space than can our largest computers, it also has a built-in error correction system. Scientists have discovered a number of key enzymes within the cell that have just one job: find and correct errors in the genetic code. Those errors can creep into the code because of radiation, certain chemicals, or other outside forces. The enzymes faithfully correct any errors, preventing mutations – the same mutations that scientists thought could cause evolution. One expert on enzymes has stated that science has no explanation for how such sophistication could have evolved. Neither is there any explanation for how life could have continued without this genetic proof-reading and correction capability.
Only our Creator could have been wise enough to design an information system that can correct its own errors. Even we human beings have not figured out how to do this with our much simpler computers. Certainly, blind chance could never do what the best of human intelligence can do!
Dear Father, just as You have designed a chemical system to remedy errors in our genetics, Your plan of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ's atoning work gives the full remedy for sin, including a new life. Grant me Your Holy Spirit so that I may be enabled to better live that new life You give me. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
CANADA'S FOSSIL FOREST
Ecclesiastes 11:3
"If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth: and if the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be."
Axel Heiberg Island in Northern Canada is the closest point of land to the North Pole. The landscape is completely barren today, but long ago a dense forest of large meta-sequoia trees grew there. At that time, the climate must have been like Florida today. The stumps of these "fossil trees" have not mineralized and are still wood – that is, cellulose. They are claimed to be 45 million years old.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University studied the hydrogen and oxygen isotopes of the cellulose. These lightweight isotopes are normally quickly lost by evaporation from dead wood, but to their surprise, the researchers discovered an unusually high content. This means that their rate of evaporation was extremely low. In other words, not only did the trees grow in a humid climate, but this climate continued a long time after the trees were destroyed. Further, cellulose is quickly broken down by bacterial action if exposed to air so that the trees were buried rapidly, deeply and a lot more recently than 45 million years ago.
Creation Moments happened to be present when a sample of this wood was used to calibrate the equipment at a well-known Carbon 14 dating laboratory. Believing the wood to be 45 million years old, it should contain no Carbon 14 but, in fact, it did and dated at only 41 thousand years!
Heavenly Father, You have given us so much evidence for a recent creation and Your sustaining hand upon it. Please open the eyes of those who would willfully ignore these signs. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
CATERPILLARS REMEMBER
Matthew 6:19
"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal."
The metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a moth or butterfly completely restructures the creature internally and externally. Scientists at Georgetown University in Washington D.C. wondered whether that included the caterpillar's brain as well.
To find out, they placed tobacco hornworm caterpillars inside a hollow tube shaped like a Y. Scientists then put a bad-smelling gas in one of the arms of the Y. When a caterpillar went down that arm of the tube it received a mild shock. Since the caterpillars go through several molts, researchers performed the experiment on caterpillars at various stages of their moltings.
They found that caterpillars that underwent the experience before their fifth and final molt did not remember their experience with the gas after metamorphosis. However, 77 percent of those caterpillars that encountered the gas and experienced a shock after their final molt remembered their dislike of the gas after metamorphosis. Scientists point out that caterpillars, moths and butterflies are not social creatures. This means they have more need for memory because there is no division of labor among them.
Just because the Bible associates moths with decay doesn't mean that God didn't provide them with all they need to live successful lives. To God, no creature is unimportant.
Father, I thank You that You are generous with Your gifts. Let me never forget Your goodness. Amen.
CHICKADEE-DEE-DEE DANGER
Psalm 9:20
"And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head."
Millions of North Americans are familiar with the call of the Black-Capped chickadee: "Chicka-dee". However, most bird-watchers know that the little chickadee communicates danger with its "chickadee-dee-dee" call. Bird-watchers also know that chickens use different warnings for dangers from the air or from the ground.
Scientists decided to see if chickadees used specialized calls for different dangers. In their first experiments they used a stuffed hawk to see what the chickadees in an outdoor aviary would do. However, they were only fooled once, and after that researchers had to use live hawks. After studying over 5,000 responses, a pattern emerged. Small, agile raptors like hawks are more dangerous to chickadees than, say, a large, horned owl, which the chickadees can easily evade. When confronted by a smaller raptor, the birds' "chicka" call added up to four "dee"s in rapid succession, instead of two more leisurely "dee"s. Even more "dee"s might be added if the chickadees evaluated the danger as greater. Most frightening to the little birds was a pygmy owl that rated 23 "dee"s.
God cares for all His creatures and, knowing that predation would enter the creation with man's sin, provided them with ways to warn each other. He also gave man His Word to warn us how to avoid sin and how to escape from it through Jesus Christ, should we become entrapped.
I thank You, Lord, for Your protection from all the dangers we face, especially the danger of our sin. Amen.
CHOCOLATE CHILI?
Genesis 1:29
"And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat."
It has been written against, outlawed, and is the original "food of the gods." Modern science is finding that chocolate seems to offer some positive health benefits.
When Cortéz and his soldiers came to the New World, Montezuma offered them his people's favorite hot chocolate. But Montezuma's people didn't add sugar to the chocolate. Instead, they added ground-up hot peppers. This was real hot chocolate! The Spanish thought it was terrible stuff. Luckily for chocolate lovers, they did take some of the beans back to Europe. There it dawned on someone to leave out the peppers and add sugar instead. By the eighteenth-century, chocolate houses had become so popular that brewers of alcoholic beverages demanded legal restrictions against chocolate because it was ruining their business.
Today, Americans eat an average of 10 pounds of chocolate per person per year. Chocolate also contains a mild anti-depressant as well as theobromine, a unique substance that perks you up and calms you down at the same time. And contrary to popular thought, chocolate is not addicting.
While chocolate may seem a trivial subject, it has given those who like it a lot of enjoyment. It is one of those gifts God has given us that makes life a little more enjoyable – but is totally unnecessary. And this offers us a lesson about His gracious thoughts toward man.
Dear Lord Jesus Christ, You made all that is. I thank You that You have made some things which we don't require, but which cause us to rejoice in Your generosity. Help me never to misuse Your good gifts. Amen.
CLIMATE CHANGE REPORT RELEASED ONE DAY TOO EARLY
Genesis 8:22
"While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease."
On the last day of March, 2014, the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued a report warning that the effects of climate change are already occurring on all continents. They went on to predict that mankind would face catastrophic consequences if we don't take drastic measures right now. But as you'll see in a moment, the report was released one day too early.
Why do we say that? Because April 1st would have been a far more suitable date for a foolish announcement with no substance to back it up. The announcement was a brash attempt to "sell" climate change by stressing the sheer number of "experts" who prepared the report.
Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of the IPCC, stressed that "none of this [the report] would be possible without the dedication of the Co-Chairs of Working Group II and the hundreds of scientists and experts who volunteered their time to produce this report, as well as the more than 1,700 expert reviewers worldwide who contributed their invaluable oversight."
After the IPCC was caught cooking the books in November of 2009, in 2011 and on other occasions, Creation Moments can't help but be skeptical of any report that tries to convince us it is true by citing the number of scientists who participated in its preparation. The truth is, there are thousands of scientists who are skeptical of man-made climate change. But like creationists, they are ignored and ridiculed.
Heavenly Father, I know that so-called climate change is not something to be feared. I also know I can trust You to preserve our planet until the day that Your Son returns. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
CLIMATE MODELS WILDLY EXAGGERATED
Genesis 8:22
"While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease."
What scares you more – the polar ice caps melting and a worldwide cataclysm or the increased prices of everything you buy because of exaggerated global-warming claims? What upsets thinking people are all of the false and preposterous claims about global warming they hear on the nightly news.
A new study in the journal Nature Climate Change compared 117 climate predictions made in the 1990s to the actual amount of warming. Out of 117 predictions, only three were roughly accurate, while 114 seriously overestimated the amount of warming. On average, the predictions forecasted two times more global warming than actually occurred.
"It's a real problem," said climate scientist John Christy, a professor at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. "It shows that there really is something that needs to be fixed in the climate models." He added, "I looked at seventy-three climate models going back to 1979 and every single one predicted more warming than happened in the real world."
Exaggeration and scare tactics seem to be the name of their game. Remember how in 1972, Arctic specialist Bernt Balchen said that a general warming trend over the North Pole is melting the polar ice cap and may produce an ice-free Arctic Ocean by the year 2000? This and many other failed predictions reveal that climate science forecasting is even less reliable than the weatherman on your TV.
No, Christians need not fear anything, especially global warming!
Lord, help us to be responsible stewards of this planet You have given us. And yet, make us mindful of the fact that the Earth is not to be worshiped, for You alone are worthy of our praise! In Jesus' Name. Amen.
CREATION MOMENTS: 6.22.19 - PT. 4
ARE ALL DINOSAURS EXTINCT?
Romans 8:20-21
"For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God."
Dinosaurs are one of the most popular subjects among grade schoolers these days. These fascinating and awe-inspiring creatures seem distant and unreal to our modern world. Because of this, dinosaurs are often seen as proof of the idea that we live in an evolutionary world.
But are dinosaurs really extinct? Many species of dinosaurs have been discovered and classified over the years. Most of the reptiles we think of as "dinosaurs" belonged to the Archosauria or "ruling reptile" subclass. However, at least 21 species and seven subspecies of Archosauria continue to live to this day, though some of them are endangered species. The largest living group of Archosauria is the crocodiles. Most crocodiles grow to be larger than the average extinct dinosaur, which averaged about the size of a horse. Marine crocodiles found off the northern coast of Australia grow to over thirty feet in length – an accomplishment unmatched by most dinosaurs. Crocodiles help us to learn to see the extinct dinosaurs as part of God's incredible creativity rather than as symbols of an ever-changing, ever-evolving world.
But this doesn't mean that change, especially improvement, is a myth. Our Creator wants far more for us than we can achieve for ourselves. That is why He has given us His Word of salvation in Jesus Christ! In Christ is found true and worthy improvement.
Dear Lord Jesus Christ, my faith and trust is in You and You alone. Grant me Your instruction through Your Word that I may not only have life, but so that I may become more like You. Amen.
ARE ALL SCIENTISTS EVOLUTIONISTS?
Romans 1:18-19
"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them."
Evolutionists sometimes challenge those of us who believe in creation with the words, "Just name one scientist who doesn't accept evolution!" Since many Christians are not familiar with the names of notable scientists, the evolutionist then says, "See! You can't name any because there aren't any!"
At one time, most scientists were committed to the understanding that there is a Creator. Then, for a long time, it really did look as though practically all scientists had accepted evolution. However, that trend seems to be reversing. A poll published a number of years ago in the professional magazine, Industrial Chemist, tells us what scientists really believe.
According to this poll of professional scientists, one-fifth, or 20 per cent, completely reject evolution. Half the scientists believe that it would have been impossible for man to have evolved from lower forms without some sort of supernatural intervention. And do scientists think that creation science is hurting science education? According to this poll, 40 per cent said "No."
So evolutionism is not an unchallenged "fact" of science. It seems that scientists are divided over evolution – meaning that evolution has not made its case – even to the professionals! That should help a lot of Christians understand that science does not demand their acceptance of evolution. Christians should also see that the Bible offers an intelligent alternative to evolution.
Dear Lord Jesus, You have known, firsthand, how those who reject You will often lie to themselves and others so that they seem right and You seem wrong. We see that today as well. Give those scientists who know You the wisdom and strength to share their witness with others. Amen.
ARE ANIMALS JUST AS SMART AS HUMANS?
Genesis 1:27
"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them."
Over the years, Creation Moments has been introducing you to animals that are superior to humans when it comes to such things as eyesight, hearing and the ability to survive in conditions that are too hot or cold for us humans. But now, some scientists in Australia are saying that animals are smarter than us, too!
According to University of Adelaide experts in evolutionary biology, "Humans have been deceiving themselves for thousands of years that they're smarter than the rest of the animal kingdom, despite growing evidence to the contrary." The scientists have even written a book called The Dynamic Human that says that some animals may actually be brighter than we are.
According to Professor Maciej Henneberg, a professor of anthropological and comparative anatomy, "The animal world is much more complex than we give it credit for. Animals offer different kinds of intelligences which have been underrated due to humans' fixation on language and technology."
No, Professor Henneberg, creationists do not underrate the intelligence of animals. We have always known that God created each animal with gifts, abilities and the necessary intelligence to survive. What truly separates humans from the animals is not intelligence but the fact that God made us in His image. As it says in Genesis 2:7, "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."
Thank You, Father, for setting us apart from every other living thing you created. I also thank You for giving us Your Son and Your Holy Spirit so that we can have eternal life. Amen.
ARE BIRTH DEFECTS GOD’S PLAN?
Genesis 3:8
“And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees in the garden.”
Most creationists are pro life because they see conception and birth as one of the clearest evidences of God’s original role as Creator. Scripture is filled with examples showing that God not only created the heavens and earth in six days, just as reported in several places in Scripture, but that He is still intimately involved with His creation.
In other words, God did not create the heavens and earth and then leave the earth to spin off on its own in space on automatic pilot as mindless natural laws took over. This means that there is no such thing as chance. Can birth defects, therefore, be ascribed to God’s will?
The Bible also tells us that God created a perfect creation, with no sin, death or defect of any sort. It was we humans who changed the creation when we sinned by abandoning God. He never left us. Unfortunately, our sinful condition brings its own results – including more sin, genetic defects and death. Jesus’ disciples once asked Him about a man born blind, “Master who did sin, this man or his parents?” Jesus’ answer shows us God’s intimate involvement in human life. He told the disciples that the man was born blind to show forth the works of God. Then Jesus miraculously healed his blindness.
There is no worse thing for us than sin and its results now and forever. But the lesson is if we allow God, our Creator, to work, there is nothing so evil that it cannot, in His hands, show forth His mighty works!
I lament, Lord, that because of sin, You no longer walk and talk with us as You did with our first parents before the fall. But I thank You that through Jesus Christ, we are restored to a relationship with You and that You speak with us each day in Your Word. Amen.
ARE ROCKS LIKE VAULTS OR SPONGES?
1 Corinthians 2:7
"But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:"
One of the common methods of finding the age of rocks, and ultimately the age of the Earth, measures the decay of radioactive uranium into lead – the more lead, the older the rock. The method, however, makes some very big assumptions. First, scientists assume there was no lead in the rock when it first formed, but this is unprovable. Then, they assume that rocks are like locked vaults and that no uranium, lead, or the in between decay elements can ever enter or leave the rock.
The fact is, numerous scientific studies show all these assumptions are wrong. Studies have shown that commonly dated rock material can have lead in it as it crystallizes. Other studies have shown that lead, uranium and the other elements important for dating can be removed from the rock by simple weathering or other conditions. In other words, while evolutionary scientists compare rocks to locked vaults, we are learning they are more like sponges. This explains why evolutionary dating methods have found, for example, one part of a rock to be 30 times older than another part of the same rock.
The next time you hear someone say that certain rocks or the fossils in them are millions or billions of years old, just remember that rocks are not like vaults. They are more like sponges that gain or lose elements, making accurate dating impossible. There is no good scientific evidence that the Earth is any older than the few thousand years indicated by the Bible.
I thank You, Lord, that I can trust You as the Rock of Ages. Amen.
ARE WE AS GOOD AS IT GETS?
Proverbs 16:18
"Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall."
Are we, as human beings, as good as it gets? According to several influential evolutionary scientists, human beings are as good as it gets, and evolution has stopped for us. Some dispute this, saying that human evolution is still happening, but it's invisible. Although none of this sounds very much like science, such claims have fueled new debate among evolutionists.
These debates are puzzling, considering man's supposed evolutionary history. According to evolution, modern man evolved in a blink of evolutionary history from some ape like creature. As we have pointed out many times, if evolution and its time scales were true, virtually every generation of our ancestors would have had to have evolved improvements over the last generation. Why would evolution have stopped so suddenly? Has modern medicine, which saves even the weak, stopped evolution? Mutations are also decreasing among us, they point out. In the primitive past, women had children throughout their reproductive life. Older women give birth to children with more mutations. But today, women have their children when young, then stop reproducing.
The claim that we are as good as it gets reveals the pride of earthly thinking inherent in evolution. In truth, we can only be as good as we can get through the forgiveness of sins that comes by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ.
Lord, I thank You for forgiveness, and I look forward to the perfection I shall realize in heaven. Amen.
ARE YOU SUPERSTITIOUS?
1 Timothy 4:7
"But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness."
Are you superstitious? A Harris poll conducted early in 2014 found that: 21 percent of Americans believe that knocking on wood prevents bad luck; 20 percent wouldn't dream of walking under a ladder; 14 percent believe it's unlucky to open an umbrella indoors; and 12 percent think the number 13 is unlucky. In fact, 14 percent of Americans said they believe Friday the 13th is an unlucky day.
Why are people superstitious? For the most part, superstition is caused by fear of bad luck and insecurity in the future, writes Benjamin Radford, LiveScience Bad Science columnist. But as you're about to hear, superstitions are not just foolish, they can be quite dangerous.
In May, a man fainted while driving through a tunnel near Portland, Oregon. This caused a head-on collision that sent four people to the hospital. The driver said he had lost consciousness while holding his breath. According to CarMax, the auto sales giant, "Holding your breath while driving though a tunnel is [America's] favorite driving superstition."
Christians, don't be superstitious. You have nothing to gain by being superstitious. Some people would even say that superstition is just another word for idolatry. As believers, we should not put our faith in objects like rabbits' feet or in manmade rituals like holding our breath in a tunnel. We should put our faith only in the one true God who is sovereign over all His creation.
Heavenly Father, I place my trust in You and You alone. Though superstitions appear harmless on the surface, I know deep down that they do not bring glory and honor to You. Amen.
AUSTRALIAN DINOSAURS
Ezekiel 32:2
"Son of man, take up a lamentation for Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say unto him, Thou art like a young lion of the nations, and thou art as a whale in the seas: and thou camest forth with thy rivers, and troubledst the waters with thy feet, and fouledst their rivers."
If the biblical account of history is true, then man and dinosaurs lived at the same time. Some believe that this accounts for the almost universal legends of dragons. In many parts of the world, these legends were passed orally from generation to generation. Unfortunately, it takes only a few hundred years for such legends to become distorted. America was already a country when Europeans got around to settling in Australia. There they found that the local Aborigines had oral accounts of monsters. The Aboriginal people insisted these were real flesh-and-blood creatures.
Aborigines in the northern and eastern parts of Australia tell of the burrunjor. Their descriptions matched that of the allosaurus. As late as 1961 in this part of Australia a tracker reported a bipedal reptile 25 feet long. Aborigines in central Australia tell of the kulta, which is described very much like a diplodocus or apatosaurus. Like these dinosaurs, kulta lived in swamps and ate plants. Cave drawings in northern Australia depict similar creatures. Aborigines refused to settle on Lake Galilee in western Queensland because a monster lived in the lake. This creature, which they called a bunyip, sounds like a plesiosaur.
The fact that the Aboriginal descriptions so accurately match dinosaurs known to the rest of the world show that these are recent memories – exactly what we would expect if the biblical history is accurate.
Dear Father, I rejoice because I can trust Your Word of salvation. Amen.
BACTERIA THE SIZE OF A WHALE?
Genesis 1:20
"And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven."
The abundance and variety of living things that God made continues to amaze scientists. All of us learned in school that bacteria are too small to see without a microscope. That's why, when scientists studied a newly discovered type of bacteria that is visible to the naked eye, they couldn't believe it was bacteria! More study convinced them that the sulfur pearl of Namibia is indeed the largest known bacteria.
The sulfur pearl of Namibia was discovered in deep-sea sediments in 1997. It is part of a strange family of bacteria that generates energy for life by oxidizing sulfur. Such bacteria had been found earlier in sediments found off the South American coast, but they are nowhere near the size of the sulfur pearl. Not only does the sulfur pearl need no light to live, but also it is an excellent reflector of light, which makes it easy to see. The sulfur pearl is so large that smaller bacteria colonize its outer sheath. To give some idea, if the average bacteria were the size of a mouse, the sulfur pearl would be the size of a great blue whale, the largest animal on earth! It is, in fact, about as big as a pinhead.
Despite its great size, it has no more cytoplasm than the average bacteria. About 98 percent of the bacterium's interior is taken up by a fluid filled sack in which the bacterium stores nitrates which it uses to metabolize sulfur. This allows it to go for months without finding new nitrates. God has generously – and creatively – provided for all His creatures, even this bacterium.
Dear Father, we thank You for the variety and creativity with which You have provided for all Your creatures. Amen.
BAD NEWS, WORSE NEWS, GOOD NEWS
Deuteronomy 6:6-7a
"And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children..."
Only four in 10 Americans believe God created the Earth and anatomically modern humans less than 10,000 years ago. That's the bad news, according to the latest Gallup poll. Even worse is the finding that half of Americans now believe that humans evolved over millions of years, though most of these people say that God guided the process.
"Religious, less educated, and older respondents were likelier to espouse a young Earth creationist view – that life was created some 6,000 to 10,000 years ago," according to the Gallup Values and Beliefs Survey. Though the percentage of people who believe in creationism has changed little over the decades, the percentage of people who believe humans evolved without God has more than doubled.
And college only makes things worse. While 57 percent of students who received just a high-school education are creationists, only 25 percent of those with a college degree believe in creation. Evolution's stranglehold on the minds of young people should be a grave concern for all Christians.
But there's good news to report. To the credit of some churches, more than two-thirds of those who attend weekly religious services believe in a young Earth, compared with just 23 percent of those who never go to church. We would venture to say that this is due in part to churches that give their youth a solid foundation in the Bible and the truth of biblical creation. Is your church one of them?
Father, I pray that You will help parents and churches prepare their children to stand firm in the faith and stand strong against the false teaching they will receive in school. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
BATS CRY: THAT'S
MINE!
Ephesians 4:28
"Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth."
As you know, bats are able to find their way around and locate their prey using echolocation – high-pitched sounds that they also use to keep from flying into trees and other bats. But scientists have now learned that one particular kind of bat emits another call that warns other bats to stay away from bugs they've claimed for themselves.
A five-person research team from the University of Maryland recently discovered that male big brown bats produce a special sound called a frequency-modulated bout, or FMB, that sounds a warning to other bats. The FMB is an ultrasonic social call that uniquely identifies the bat emitting it. Its sequence of three to four sounds are longer in duration and lower in frequency than typical echolocation pulses that the bats use for navigation. After hearing the FMB, other bats moved away from both the caller and its lunch.
Biology Research Associate Genevieve Spanjer Wright said: "When two males flew together in a trial, it was not uncommon for each bat to emit FMBs. We found that the bat emitting the greatest number of FMBs was more likely to capture the mealworm."
While only a few talented humans have learned to use echolocation, all of us have been blessed by our Creator with a conscience that acts like a warning signal from God. Let us be like the male big brown bat that not only heeds these warnings but also warns others to avoid things that would displease their Creator.
Heavenly Father, I pray that you will make my conscience shout at me when I am about to do anything that displeases You. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
BATTY COLOGNE
Psalm 141:2
"LORD, I cry unto thee: make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee."
When a young man prepares himself to meet his young lady, he slaps on a little cologne, hoping to please her. It turns out that the males of at least some species of bats do the same thing. Researchers have recently discovered how a small North American tropical bat prepares to attract and keep his harem of up to eight females. In late afternoon the bat begins a ritual that takes more than half an hour to complete. The bat starts by licking scent sacs in its wings. Then it gathers secretions, including urine, from various parts of its body, depositing each secretion on its wing sacs. Despite what you might imagine, the resulting odor is sweet and spicy.
Once he is finished primping, the bat goes to his harem and hovers above them like a hummingbird. The bat can hover for up to 15 seconds. As he hovers, he flaps his wings hard enough to disturb nearby leaves, and he chirps at each female. At the same time, his frantic flapping distributes his special scent. The females respond to the scent by chirping back at him. Males will also spread their scent around, hoping to attract more females to their harems. Researchers think this behavior is more than just ritual. They point out that the complex mix of scents in urine can indicate whether a creature is in good health. For example, female mice will not respond to males whose urine indicates that they are ill.
Many creatures communicate through scent. Scripture even speaks of our prayers as rising to God as sweet-smelling incense. But only the cleansing blood of Christ can sweeten us before God.
Thank You, Lord, for taking away the stench of my sin. Amen.
BIRDS EGG EVOLUTION
Job 39:14-15
"Which leaveth her eggs in the earth, and warmeth them in dust, and forgetteth that the foot may crush them, or that the wild beast may break them."
The creation is literally filled with millions of what those who believe in evolution call "happy coincidences." But when you encounter millions of instances of what appears to be thoughtful design, the obvious conclusion is that there is a Designer. Take the example of bird eggs.
The shape of the egg makes it strong. This strength comes in handy in a busy nest. Mom and dad are coming and going, and they turn the eggs periodically during incubation. But all eggs are not equally egg shaped, and there is a pattern to their shapes. Birds like robins that build a nice, dish shaped nest tend to lay eggs that are more round in shape. Screech owls, which lay their eggs at the bottom of a hole in a tree, also have round shaped eggs. Birds like the killdeer barely build any kind of nest and lay eggs on the ground where almost-round eggs could roll away. For this reason, birds such as a kildeer lay much more sharply pointed eggs which are designed to pivot on their small end. Likewise, eggs that are laid where predators are not likely to see them are usually pale or solid in color, but eggs laid out in the open are camouflaged. Moreover, baby birds that hatch in protected nests, like the bluebird, tend to be naked, blind and helpless. But the unprotected killdeer hatchlings are ready to leave the nest within minutes of hatching.
All coincidences? It seems more scientific to say that here we have a few of the many fingerprints of our wise Creator!
I praise You, Father, for how Your glory is reflected in the creation. Amen.
Romans 8:20-21
"For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God."
Dinosaurs are one of the most popular subjects among grade schoolers these days. These fascinating and awe-inspiring creatures seem distant and unreal to our modern world. Because of this, dinosaurs are often seen as proof of the idea that we live in an evolutionary world.
But are dinosaurs really extinct? Many species of dinosaurs have been discovered and classified over the years. Most of the reptiles we think of as "dinosaurs" belonged to the Archosauria or "ruling reptile" subclass. However, at least 21 species and seven subspecies of Archosauria continue to live to this day, though some of them are endangered species. The largest living group of Archosauria is the crocodiles. Most crocodiles grow to be larger than the average extinct dinosaur, which averaged about the size of a horse. Marine crocodiles found off the northern coast of Australia grow to over thirty feet in length – an accomplishment unmatched by most dinosaurs. Crocodiles help us to learn to see the extinct dinosaurs as part of God's incredible creativity rather than as symbols of an ever-changing, ever-evolving world.
But this doesn't mean that change, especially improvement, is a myth. Our Creator wants far more for us than we can achieve for ourselves. That is why He has given us His Word of salvation in Jesus Christ! In Christ is found true and worthy improvement.
Dear Lord Jesus Christ, my faith and trust is in You and You alone. Grant me Your instruction through Your Word that I may not only have life, but so that I may become more like You. Amen.
ARE ALL SCIENTISTS EVOLUTIONISTS?
Romans 1:18-19
"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them."
Evolutionists sometimes challenge those of us who believe in creation with the words, "Just name one scientist who doesn't accept evolution!" Since many Christians are not familiar with the names of notable scientists, the evolutionist then says, "See! You can't name any because there aren't any!"
At one time, most scientists were committed to the understanding that there is a Creator. Then, for a long time, it really did look as though practically all scientists had accepted evolution. However, that trend seems to be reversing. A poll published a number of years ago in the professional magazine, Industrial Chemist, tells us what scientists really believe.
According to this poll of professional scientists, one-fifth, or 20 per cent, completely reject evolution. Half the scientists believe that it would have been impossible for man to have evolved from lower forms without some sort of supernatural intervention. And do scientists think that creation science is hurting science education? According to this poll, 40 per cent said "No."
So evolutionism is not an unchallenged "fact" of science. It seems that scientists are divided over evolution – meaning that evolution has not made its case – even to the professionals! That should help a lot of Christians understand that science does not demand their acceptance of evolution. Christians should also see that the Bible offers an intelligent alternative to evolution.
Dear Lord Jesus, You have known, firsthand, how those who reject You will often lie to themselves and others so that they seem right and You seem wrong. We see that today as well. Give those scientists who know You the wisdom and strength to share their witness with others. Amen.
ARE ANIMALS JUST AS SMART AS HUMANS?
Genesis 1:27
"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them."
Over the years, Creation Moments has been introducing you to animals that are superior to humans when it comes to such things as eyesight, hearing and the ability to survive in conditions that are too hot or cold for us humans. But now, some scientists in Australia are saying that animals are smarter than us, too!
According to University of Adelaide experts in evolutionary biology, "Humans have been deceiving themselves for thousands of years that they're smarter than the rest of the animal kingdom, despite growing evidence to the contrary." The scientists have even written a book called The Dynamic Human that says that some animals may actually be brighter than we are.
According to Professor Maciej Henneberg, a professor of anthropological and comparative anatomy, "The animal world is much more complex than we give it credit for. Animals offer different kinds of intelligences which have been underrated due to humans' fixation on language and technology."
No, Professor Henneberg, creationists do not underrate the intelligence of animals. We have always known that God created each animal with gifts, abilities and the necessary intelligence to survive. What truly separates humans from the animals is not intelligence but the fact that God made us in His image. As it says in Genesis 2:7, "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."
Thank You, Father, for setting us apart from every other living thing you created. I also thank You for giving us Your Son and Your Holy Spirit so that we can have eternal life. Amen.
ARE BIRTH DEFECTS GOD’S PLAN?
Genesis 3:8
“And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees in the garden.”
Most creationists are pro life because they see conception and birth as one of the clearest evidences of God’s original role as Creator. Scripture is filled with examples showing that God not only created the heavens and earth in six days, just as reported in several places in Scripture, but that He is still intimately involved with His creation.
In other words, God did not create the heavens and earth and then leave the earth to spin off on its own in space on automatic pilot as mindless natural laws took over. This means that there is no such thing as chance. Can birth defects, therefore, be ascribed to God’s will?
The Bible also tells us that God created a perfect creation, with no sin, death or defect of any sort. It was we humans who changed the creation when we sinned by abandoning God. He never left us. Unfortunately, our sinful condition brings its own results – including more sin, genetic defects and death. Jesus’ disciples once asked Him about a man born blind, “Master who did sin, this man or his parents?” Jesus’ answer shows us God’s intimate involvement in human life. He told the disciples that the man was born blind to show forth the works of God. Then Jesus miraculously healed his blindness.
There is no worse thing for us than sin and its results now and forever. But the lesson is if we allow God, our Creator, to work, there is nothing so evil that it cannot, in His hands, show forth His mighty works!
I lament, Lord, that because of sin, You no longer walk and talk with us as You did with our first parents before the fall. But I thank You that through Jesus Christ, we are restored to a relationship with You and that You speak with us each day in Your Word. Amen.
ARE ROCKS LIKE VAULTS OR SPONGES?
1 Corinthians 2:7
"But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:"
One of the common methods of finding the age of rocks, and ultimately the age of the Earth, measures the decay of radioactive uranium into lead – the more lead, the older the rock. The method, however, makes some very big assumptions. First, scientists assume there was no lead in the rock when it first formed, but this is unprovable. Then, they assume that rocks are like locked vaults and that no uranium, lead, or the in between decay elements can ever enter or leave the rock.
The fact is, numerous scientific studies show all these assumptions are wrong. Studies have shown that commonly dated rock material can have lead in it as it crystallizes. Other studies have shown that lead, uranium and the other elements important for dating can be removed from the rock by simple weathering or other conditions. In other words, while evolutionary scientists compare rocks to locked vaults, we are learning they are more like sponges. This explains why evolutionary dating methods have found, for example, one part of a rock to be 30 times older than another part of the same rock.
The next time you hear someone say that certain rocks or the fossils in them are millions or billions of years old, just remember that rocks are not like vaults. They are more like sponges that gain or lose elements, making accurate dating impossible. There is no good scientific evidence that the Earth is any older than the few thousand years indicated by the Bible.
I thank You, Lord, that I can trust You as the Rock of Ages. Amen.
ARE WE AS GOOD AS IT GETS?
Proverbs 16:18
"Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall."
Are we, as human beings, as good as it gets? According to several influential evolutionary scientists, human beings are as good as it gets, and evolution has stopped for us. Some dispute this, saying that human evolution is still happening, but it's invisible. Although none of this sounds very much like science, such claims have fueled new debate among evolutionists.
These debates are puzzling, considering man's supposed evolutionary history. According to evolution, modern man evolved in a blink of evolutionary history from some ape like creature. As we have pointed out many times, if evolution and its time scales were true, virtually every generation of our ancestors would have had to have evolved improvements over the last generation. Why would evolution have stopped so suddenly? Has modern medicine, which saves even the weak, stopped evolution? Mutations are also decreasing among us, they point out. In the primitive past, women had children throughout their reproductive life. Older women give birth to children with more mutations. But today, women have their children when young, then stop reproducing.
The claim that we are as good as it gets reveals the pride of earthly thinking inherent in evolution. In truth, we can only be as good as we can get through the forgiveness of sins that comes by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ.
Lord, I thank You for forgiveness, and I look forward to the perfection I shall realize in heaven. Amen.
ARE YOU SUPERSTITIOUS?
1 Timothy 4:7
"But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness."
Are you superstitious? A Harris poll conducted early in 2014 found that: 21 percent of Americans believe that knocking on wood prevents bad luck; 20 percent wouldn't dream of walking under a ladder; 14 percent believe it's unlucky to open an umbrella indoors; and 12 percent think the number 13 is unlucky. In fact, 14 percent of Americans said they believe Friday the 13th is an unlucky day.
Why are people superstitious? For the most part, superstition is caused by fear of bad luck and insecurity in the future, writes Benjamin Radford, LiveScience Bad Science columnist. But as you're about to hear, superstitions are not just foolish, they can be quite dangerous.
In May, a man fainted while driving through a tunnel near Portland, Oregon. This caused a head-on collision that sent four people to the hospital. The driver said he had lost consciousness while holding his breath. According to CarMax, the auto sales giant, "Holding your breath while driving though a tunnel is [America's] favorite driving superstition."
Christians, don't be superstitious. You have nothing to gain by being superstitious. Some people would even say that superstition is just another word for idolatry. As believers, we should not put our faith in objects like rabbits' feet or in manmade rituals like holding our breath in a tunnel. We should put our faith only in the one true God who is sovereign over all His creation.
Heavenly Father, I place my trust in You and You alone. Though superstitions appear harmless on the surface, I know deep down that they do not bring glory and honor to You. Amen.
AUSTRALIAN DINOSAURS
Ezekiel 32:2
"Son of man, take up a lamentation for Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say unto him, Thou art like a young lion of the nations, and thou art as a whale in the seas: and thou camest forth with thy rivers, and troubledst the waters with thy feet, and fouledst their rivers."
If the biblical account of history is true, then man and dinosaurs lived at the same time. Some believe that this accounts for the almost universal legends of dragons. In many parts of the world, these legends were passed orally from generation to generation. Unfortunately, it takes only a few hundred years for such legends to become distorted. America was already a country when Europeans got around to settling in Australia. There they found that the local Aborigines had oral accounts of monsters. The Aboriginal people insisted these were real flesh-and-blood creatures.
Aborigines in the northern and eastern parts of Australia tell of the burrunjor. Their descriptions matched that of the allosaurus. As late as 1961 in this part of Australia a tracker reported a bipedal reptile 25 feet long. Aborigines in central Australia tell of the kulta, which is described very much like a diplodocus or apatosaurus. Like these dinosaurs, kulta lived in swamps and ate plants. Cave drawings in northern Australia depict similar creatures. Aborigines refused to settle on Lake Galilee in western Queensland because a monster lived in the lake. This creature, which they called a bunyip, sounds like a plesiosaur.
The fact that the Aboriginal descriptions so accurately match dinosaurs known to the rest of the world show that these are recent memories – exactly what we would expect if the biblical history is accurate.
Dear Father, I rejoice because I can trust Your Word of salvation. Amen.
BACTERIA THE SIZE OF A WHALE?
Genesis 1:20
"And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven."
The abundance and variety of living things that God made continues to amaze scientists. All of us learned in school that bacteria are too small to see without a microscope. That's why, when scientists studied a newly discovered type of bacteria that is visible to the naked eye, they couldn't believe it was bacteria! More study convinced them that the sulfur pearl of Namibia is indeed the largest known bacteria.
The sulfur pearl of Namibia was discovered in deep-sea sediments in 1997. It is part of a strange family of bacteria that generates energy for life by oxidizing sulfur. Such bacteria had been found earlier in sediments found off the South American coast, but they are nowhere near the size of the sulfur pearl. Not only does the sulfur pearl need no light to live, but also it is an excellent reflector of light, which makes it easy to see. The sulfur pearl is so large that smaller bacteria colonize its outer sheath. To give some idea, if the average bacteria were the size of a mouse, the sulfur pearl would be the size of a great blue whale, the largest animal on earth! It is, in fact, about as big as a pinhead.
Despite its great size, it has no more cytoplasm than the average bacteria. About 98 percent of the bacterium's interior is taken up by a fluid filled sack in which the bacterium stores nitrates which it uses to metabolize sulfur. This allows it to go for months without finding new nitrates. God has generously – and creatively – provided for all His creatures, even this bacterium.
Dear Father, we thank You for the variety and creativity with which You have provided for all Your creatures. Amen.
BAD NEWS, WORSE NEWS, GOOD NEWS
Deuteronomy 6:6-7a
"And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children..."
Only four in 10 Americans believe God created the Earth and anatomically modern humans less than 10,000 years ago. That's the bad news, according to the latest Gallup poll. Even worse is the finding that half of Americans now believe that humans evolved over millions of years, though most of these people say that God guided the process.
"Religious, less educated, and older respondents were likelier to espouse a young Earth creationist view – that life was created some 6,000 to 10,000 years ago," according to the Gallup Values and Beliefs Survey. Though the percentage of people who believe in creationism has changed little over the decades, the percentage of people who believe humans evolved without God has more than doubled.
And college only makes things worse. While 57 percent of students who received just a high-school education are creationists, only 25 percent of those with a college degree believe in creation. Evolution's stranglehold on the minds of young people should be a grave concern for all Christians.
But there's good news to report. To the credit of some churches, more than two-thirds of those who attend weekly religious services believe in a young Earth, compared with just 23 percent of those who never go to church. We would venture to say that this is due in part to churches that give their youth a solid foundation in the Bible and the truth of biblical creation. Is your church one of them?
Father, I pray that You will help parents and churches prepare their children to stand firm in the faith and stand strong against the false teaching they will receive in school. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
BATS CRY: THAT'S
MINE!
Ephesians 4:28
"Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth."
As you know, bats are able to find their way around and locate their prey using echolocation – high-pitched sounds that they also use to keep from flying into trees and other bats. But scientists have now learned that one particular kind of bat emits another call that warns other bats to stay away from bugs they've claimed for themselves.
A five-person research team from the University of Maryland recently discovered that male big brown bats produce a special sound called a frequency-modulated bout, or FMB, that sounds a warning to other bats. The FMB is an ultrasonic social call that uniquely identifies the bat emitting it. Its sequence of three to four sounds are longer in duration and lower in frequency than typical echolocation pulses that the bats use for navigation. After hearing the FMB, other bats moved away from both the caller and its lunch.
Biology Research Associate Genevieve Spanjer Wright said: "When two males flew together in a trial, it was not uncommon for each bat to emit FMBs. We found that the bat emitting the greatest number of FMBs was more likely to capture the mealworm."
While only a few talented humans have learned to use echolocation, all of us have been blessed by our Creator with a conscience that acts like a warning signal from God. Let us be like the male big brown bat that not only heeds these warnings but also warns others to avoid things that would displease their Creator.
Heavenly Father, I pray that you will make my conscience shout at me when I am about to do anything that displeases You. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
BATTY COLOGNE
Psalm 141:2
"LORD, I cry unto thee: make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee."
When a young man prepares himself to meet his young lady, he slaps on a little cologne, hoping to please her. It turns out that the males of at least some species of bats do the same thing. Researchers have recently discovered how a small North American tropical bat prepares to attract and keep his harem of up to eight females. In late afternoon the bat begins a ritual that takes more than half an hour to complete. The bat starts by licking scent sacs in its wings. Then it gathers secretions, including urine, from various parts of its body, depositing each secretion on its wing sacs. Despite what you might imagine, the resulting odor is sweet and spicy.
Once he is finished primping, the bat goes to his harem and hovers above them like a hummingbird. The bat can hover for up to 15 seconds. As he hovers, he flaps his wings hard enough to disturb nearby leaves, and he chirps at each female. At the same time, his frantic flapping distributes his special scent. The females respond to the scent by chirping back at him. Males will also spread their scent around, hoping to attract more females to their harems. Researchers think this behavior is more than just ritual. They point out that the complex mix of scents in urine can indicate whether a creature is in good health. For example, female mice will not respond to males whose urine indicates that they are ill.
Many creatures communicate through scent. Scripture even speaks of our prayers as rising to God as sweet-smelling incense. But only the cleansing blood of Christ can sweeten us before God.
Thank You, Lord, for taking away the stench of my sin. Amen.
BIRDS EGG EVOLUTION
Job 39:14-15
"Which leaveth her eggs in the earth, and warmeth them in dust, and forgetteth that the foot may crush them, or that the wild beast may break them."
The creation is literally filled with millions of what those who believe in evolution call "happy coincidences." But when you encounter millions of instances of what appears to be thoughtful design, the obvious conclusion is that there is a Designer. Take the example of bird eggs.
The shape of the egg makes it strong. This strength comes in handy in a busy nest. Mom and dad are coming and going, and they turn the eggs periodically during incubation. But all eggs are not equally egg shaped, and there is a pattern to their shapes. Birds like robins that build a nice, dish shaped nest tend to lay eggs that are more round in shape. Screech owls, which lay their eggs at the bottom of a hole in a tree, also have round shaped eggs. Birds like the killdeer barely build any kind of nest and lay eggs on the ground where almost-round eggs could roll away. For this reason, birds such as a kildeer lay much more sharply pointed eggs which are designed to pivot on their small end. Likewise, eggs that are laid where predators are not likely to see them are usually pale or solid in color, but eggs laid out in the open are camouflaged. Moreover, baby birds that hatch in protected nests, like the bluebird, tend to be naked, blind and helpless. But the unprotected killdeer hatchlings are ready to leave the nest within minutes of hatching.
All coincidences? It seems more scientific to say that here we have a few of the many fingerprints of our wise Creator!
I praise You, Father, for how Your glory is reflected in the creation. Amen.
Discovering Naboth's Vineyard: Another Find of Biblical Proportions
Discovering Naboth's Vineyard: Another Find of Biblical Proportions - Eric Metaxas -
Sometimes I wish I'd become an archaeologist. Imagine discovering something like, oh, I don't know, Naboth's vineyard from 1 Kings.
Here at BreakPoint, we love to tell you about the ways that archaeology is confirming the biblical narrative, and, judging by the response, you love to hear about it.
Well, the latest discovery is one of the coolest yet. It's possible confirmation of one of the most memorable stories in the Bible: Ahab and Naboth's vineyard.
First Kings 21 tells the story of Naboth the Jezreelite who had the misfortune to own a vineyard near king Ahab's palace.
Ahab coveted Naboth's vineyard and offered to either buy it outright or exchange it for what he deemed a "better vineyard." When Naboth, in keeping with the Law of Moses, refused, Ahab sulked, "lay down on his bed and turned away his face and would eat no food." You gotta chuckle at Ahab's reaction. My goodness.
At any rate, his Phoenician wife, Jezebel, then hatches a successful plot to kill Naboth and seize his land. But their triumph is short-lived: Elijah pronounces God's judgment on them and their dynasty, which will end in a gruesome fashion.
Since 2012, a team led by Norma Franklin of the University of Haifa and Jennie Ebeling of the University of Evansville in Indiana have led an excavation in the Jezreel Valley, which lies south of our Lord's native south Galilee.
It's a region that figures prominently in the Bible, especially the Old Testament. It's where Gideon defeated the Midianites and the Amalekites in the book of Judges. It's where Meggido, from which we get the word "Armageddon," is located.
And it's the site of the vineyard Ahab coveted.
Five years ago, Franklin and her colleagues, using what's known as "LiDAR," a surveying "method that measures distance to a target by illuminating that target with a pulsed laser light," discovered "several features that had remained hidden for centuries." These features suggested the presence of an "early winery installation."
Excavation revealed "several wine and olive presses, including the largest ancient winepress in Israel found to date." They also found "over 100 bottle-shaped pits carved into the bedrock," which Dr. Franklin theorizes were used to store wine.
How did they know where to look in the first place? Well, they used the biblical text itself. Writing in Biblical Archeology Review, Franklin said that the details provided in the account of Naboth and the subsequent fall of Ahab's dynasty at the hands of Jehu provided "valuable information regarding the vineyard's location."
In fact, it was the correspondence between the physical evidence and the biblical account that led Franklin and her colleagues to ask if they found evidence of Naboth's vineyard.
Her answer is a lightly-qualified "yes." As she told Breaking Israel News, "the story as described in the Bible quite probably could have occurred here in the Jezreel."
Stories like this should not come as a surprise. A year ago, John Stonestreet told you about evidence that lent historical credence to the Bible's account of Jehu and the fall of Ahab's dynasty: a toilet used to desecrate what the Bible calls "the high places."
As 1 King 10 says, Jehu "demolished the pillar of Baal, and destroyed the temple of Baal, and made it a latrine to this day."
As we never tire of telling you, "the Bible is the best-attested book of antiquity. Nothing else comes close. That's as it should be because our faith is firmly rooted in history, not some "once upon a time."
And that's something we can say with complete certainty.
CREATION MOMENTS: 6.22.19 - PT. 3
ACCOUNTING FOR KING SOLOMON'S GOLD
1 Kings 6:22
"And the whole house he overlaid with gold, until he had finished all the house."
Scripture tells us that Solomon's temple was overlaid with gold inside – the walls, the ceiling and even the floor! Solomon even decorated the Temple with gold, including over two U.S. tons of golden shields. Given the dimensions of the rooms, this would take a huge amount of gold.
For this reason, many modern scholars have expressed doubt about what the Bible reports. Scripture does report that Solomon's annual income was 25 tons of gold. We know that other world rulers in the ancient world held huge amounts of gold. We have all seen the golden treasures that were found in King Tut's tomb. Reliable Greek sources report that Alexander the Great discovered a hoard of 1,180 tons of gold in Susa. So there was obviously a great deal of gold in the ancient world. But what happened to all of Solomon's gold? The Bible records that after Solomon's death Shishak, king of Egypt, invaded Jerusalem and hauled away the Temple treasure. After his death a year later, his son Osorkon I became king. Three years later, Osorkon made an offering to the gods of Egypt of 383 tons of gold. Was some of that from Solomon's Temple?
There is no reason to doubt the Bible's lavish descriptions of Solomon's Temple. There was more than enough gold in the ancient world to do the job.
Lord, You are the generous giver of all good gifts. Help me always to hold Your Word as the greatest treasure. Amen.
AMAZING UNDERWATER EYES
Psalm 94:9
"He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? he that formed the eye, shall he not see?"
We love it when one of our listeners brings something of interest to our attention that we can pass along to other listeners. A listener sent us a link to an article at the National Geographic website on little-known facts about the eyes of animals. Though National Geographic treats evolution as fact, no mention was made that God created the eyes of these animals, but we are sure that our listeners will be quick to give credit where credit is due!
When asked which creature has the most eyes, the magazine replied that the world record holder is a type of mollusk called chiton. This ocean dweller has thousands of eyes embedded in shells on their backs. Most scallop species also have up to hundreds of eyes, as do giant clams. What's more, certain types of tubeworms called sabellids and serpulids have hundreds of small, compound eyes on their feeling appendages.
When asked which animal has the most advanced vision system, the article gave the nod to another underwater creature – the mantis shrimp. Their stalked eyes have three separate regions, and they are even able to see ultraviolet and circularly polarized light. Compared to our own three photoreceptors, mantis shrimp have up to sixteen! The crustaceans may use their photoreceptors to recognize colors right in the eye, rather than processing them in the brain, as we do.
If you come across anything in a book or a film that would be of interest to other listeners, please let us know by sending an e-mail to info@creationmoments.com.
Heavenly Father, thank you for giving me eyes to see and especially for giving me the eyes to see spiritual things that lead to eternal life. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
AMAZING WINTER MOTHS
Job 42:2
"I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee."
As fall comes to the temperate regions of North America, Europe and Asia, many birds head for warmer climates, and insects enter suspended animation. While it might appear that nature is shutting down for the winter, amazing things are happening. About 50 species of moths are awakening from spending the summer in suspended animation. Winter is when these moths are active, despite the fact that they don't have any of the biological antifreeze that some other creatures do. The metabolic costs of such chemicals would hamper their way of life.
Winter moths can live as they do – even though they freeze below 32 degrees Fahrenheit – because they emerge from the leaf clutter on the forest floor where temperatures almost never fall below 37 degrees. But when the air temperature rises above freezing, the moths emerge, shiver for several minutes to warm up, and look for food. Maple sap is among their favorite foods. One stomach full of this high-energy food provides enough energy for one of these moths to hibernate all winter. When active, they are able to increase their metabolism by over 8,000 times, using the same amount of energy that sustains them all winter, in a mere 30 minutes. Summer moths shed heat from the thorax, while winter moths conserve their heat with an entirely different heat exchange system.
Winter moths illustrate that there are no limits to what God can do. So if you are ever tempted to wonder how God could have made the entire creation in six days, just remember His winter moths.
I am comforted, Almighty Father, because You love me. Amen.
AMERICAN FLASHERS
Matthew 5:16
"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."
Some time ago here on Creation Moments we did a program about Asian fireflies that flash in unison. The unspoken question was, "Aren't there some American species that flash in unison?" Someone in Tennessee who saw the same reports on which our program was based had the answer to that question. She contacted a researcher at Georgia Southern University to report an American species that clearly flashes in unison. At first, researchers had a difficult time believing that there were other firefly species that could accomplish this difficult task. But now several American species that flash in unison have been identified.
The newly identified species is found in the eastern United States, as far north as Pennsylvania and all the way down to Georgia. Another species has been found in Texas. Yet another species is found in the Gulf states. In each case, the males synchronize their flashes, creating a dramatic light show. Some species flash in unison for hundreds of flashes, producing shows that last up to three or four minutes.
Researchers have tried to explain this complex behavior in what is supposed to be a simple species. What troubles them is that every explanation they come up with credits the firefly with having some sort of pacemaker in its tiny brain. To those with an evolutionary view, this is unacceptably complex. But for those of us who know we have an all wise Creator, the synchronized flashing of fireflies is but another sign of the excellence of His work.
Father, let my light shine before men so that others may see Your work. Amen.
AN EVOLUTIONARY QUANDARY
Psalm 14:1
"The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good."
How did life get started? We all know that the Bible tells us that life got started when God created it. But we have also learned, perhaps in school, or reading the news, that evolutionists believe that life could have started in the distant past all by itself if the conditions were right. Perhaps you have read that scientists can form amino acids in the laboratory. Besides the fact that amino acids are a long way from life, the amino acids made in the laboratory are the wrong kind for life. The idea that life can form spontaneously under the right conditions places modern evolutionary scientists in a very precarious position.
One assumption of evolutionary scientists is that the early Earth had no oxygen. Oxygen destroys amino acids. Yet geologists tell us that oxidation even in the oldest rocks proves that the Earth has always had an oxygen atmosphere. Besides, if the Earth didn't have an oxygen atmosphere when the first amino acids formed, that means there was no ozone, a form of oxygen, to protect those amino acids. Amino acids are quickly destroyed by ultraviolet light from the sun. So, you see, with or without oxygen, amino acids can't begin to form. The truth is that the Bible offers the only sensible explanation for the origin of life. As the great scientist Louis Pasteur said, "Life can only come from life," while the Bible tells us that eternal life can only come from the eternal life-giver – Jesus Christ.
Father, in Your wisdom, You have put to shame those who would deny that You exist. Thank You for salvation in Jesus. Amen.
AN OPEN-AND-SHUT CASE FOR CREATION
Genesis 6:17
"And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die."
Evolutionists hate the very idea of the worldwide flood because they know that such a catastrophe would cause the Earth to appear to be much older than it truly is. And without those long ages of time, evolution becomes an impossibility.
Surprisingly, dead clams – like many other sea creatures – have much to tell us about the flood of Noah's time. Clams are known as bivalve mollusks. They have two valves that are hinged together, and they can close their shells very quickly to protect themselves from predators. When a clam dies of natural causes, the clam releases its grip on its shell, and it opens within a matter of hours. But if a buried clam shell is found shut tight, it shows that the clam was buried suddenly.
We mention this because fossil clam graveyards are found all over the world containing millions of clams with their shells shut tight. This speaks to us of a catastrophe that buried billions of clams very quickly. In other words, the worldwide flood of Noah's time. Since these fossil clam beds are found all over the world – and are often high above their natural habitat – it can only mean that the biblical worldwide flood is a fact of history.
Now, if the Bible is right about the worldwide flood, the Earth is much younger than it appears to be, so there simply isn't enough time for evolution to take place. Graveyards of closed clams have given us an open-and-shut case for biblical creation!
Heavenly Father, thank You for providing abundant evidence that the Bible is true. I pray that You will remind me of these things when I am talking to Bible skeptics. Amen.
AN UNUSED RELIGIOUS ICON?
Psalm 9:17
"The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God."
Are we Christians becoming less able to defend the truths of Scripture, like creation? Dozens of studies show that not only are we, as a group, less ready to defend the hope that we have in Christ, but also we are less able to explain why we have that hope.
George Barna, president of the Barna Research group, has analyzed data from 28 religion surveys that he conducted between 1987 and 1996. In 1992, nearly 50 percent of those polled said that they had read the Bible during the previous week. By 1996, that figure had dropped to 34 percent. Yet, in another 1996 poll, 80 percent of those polled said the Bible is the most influential book in human history, and 76 percent said that the Bible is important to them.
Barna concludes from this kind of information that for many Americans, the Bible has turned into an unused religious icon. The result is a general biblical ignorance. Barna documents this fact with examples from other surveys. For example, 80 percent of those asked thought, incorrectly, that the statement, "God helps those who help themselves" was in the Bible. In another instance, 50 percent of those polled thought that Jonah was a book of the Bible while 10 percent thought that Joan of Arc was Noah's wife.
If we are to defend the great truths of the Bible – like creation and the flood – and show their relevancy to Christ's saving work, we must each look at ourselves. Shouldn't we all study the Bible more than we do?
Dear Father, increase in me a desire to study Your Word so that, with Your help, I can be more prepared to witness the hope of salvation I have in Jesus Christ. Amen.
ANCIENT MODERN STEEL
Isaiah 51:5
"My righteousness is near; my salvation is gone forth, and mine arms shall judge the people; the isles shall wait upon me, and on mine arm shall they trust."
The ages of human history are frequently divided into periods named after rocks and minerals. There was the Stone Age, the Bronze Age and the Iron Age. This evolutionary way of describing human history is based on the materials people used to make weapons and tools. On the other hand, the Bible describes man as developing his knowledge of metalworking within a few generations of his existence.
Researchers in 2000 were studying an ancient steel factory in Turkmenistan. The 1,000 year old steel factory produced the legendary Damascus steel, which was the strongest and most durable steel produced in ancient times. When the factory was operating, steel was heated to temperatures up to 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit. Researchers examined the pottery shards that are the remains of the crucible. They found traces of the steel they once held on the shards that told an amazing story. Some of the shards had traces of low carbon steel, while others had traces of high carbon steel. They concluded that the ancient steel makers were mixing the two together in a process called co fusion. The result was a strong, durable steel. What is amazing is that it was previously thought that co fusion was discovered in the 20th century!
While our knowledge may be growing today, we need to avoid false pride. The Bible teaches that the highest knowledge is the knowledge of God. His protection is better than any provided by the hardest steel.
Dear Father, I trust Your strength for my protection. Amen.
ANCIENT ROMANS AND NANOTECHNOLOGY
Hebrews 2:6b-7
"What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him? Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands:"
One of the most interesting artifacts at the British Museum is the Lycurgus Cup, a beautiful goblet made by the Romans sixteen hundred years ago. The cup depicts the story of King Lycurgus, entangled in grapevines for his treachery against Dionysus, the god of wine in Greek mythology.
But it's not the design that makes the cup of such great interest to scientists. When viewing the cup in normal lighting, the glass is jade green. But when the cup is lit from behind, the glass changes to a bright ruby red. What is this ancient sorcery that gives the cup its color-changing properties? It's the precise amount of silver and gold nanoparticles dispersed throughout the glass material.
New research has discovered that the cup even changes colors when liquid is poured into it. Scientists replicated the makeup of the cup and then filled it with various liquids. Their results suggest the cup might have displayed many different colors depending on what sort of beverage was poured into to it.
As one science website puts it, "researchers are just now, all these years later, learning about such color changing properties of materials with embedded nanoparticles. The hope is that these properties can be exploited to perform chemistry or medical tests cheaply and quickly by displaying different colors under different conditions."
Creationists need not wonder how the ancient Romans knew about nanotechnology. However far back you go in history, the ingenuity of man points to the even greater ingenuity of his Creator!
Heavenly Father, thank you for the discovery of ancient artifacts revealing that You gave early mankind more abilities and technologies than evolutionary scientists would ever expect. Amen.
ANOTHER ATTEMPT TO ERASE JESUS FROM HISTORY
Psalm 50:22
"Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver."
When most of us were in school, everybody knew that the terms "BC" and "AD" meant Before Christ and Anno Domine, meaning "in the year of our Lord." But those terms are disappearing as authors now prefer the terms "CE" and "BCE", which are abbreviations for "Common Era" and "Before the Common Era."
As the online encyclopedia Wikipedia points out, "since the later twentieth century, use of CE and BCE has been popularized in academic and scientific publications." It is also being used "by publishers wishing to emphasize secularism and/or sensitivity to non-Christians." In other words, they are changing the terms to erase Jesus from history under the guise of not wishing to offend anyone. The secularists, on the other hand, have no qualms about offending Christians.
This is what secularism does. It obscures the truth and even revises history in subtle or overt ways. Applied chemist and creation scientist Mark Cadwallader says that the use of CE and BCE is "clearly another example of the assault on Christianity. Radical atheists," he says, "have been agitating for freedom from any reference to Christianity and especially its founder. They will disguise and revise history itself to obscure the truth of Jesus Christ."
Here at Creation Moments, we believe that truth will ultimately prevail, but we must all do our part. That's why we encourage you to do everything you can to make all people, young and old, aware of the truth and consistency of a biblical worldview. And keep on using BC and AD!
Heavenly Father, though sinful man is trying to erase Your Son from history, they will not succeed. Someday every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord! Amen.
ANTZILLA!
Matthew 7:12
"Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets."
Welcome to Australia! This delightful continent is home to many of the world's most poisonous snakes and spiders, not to mention deadly sea creatures like the box jellyfish, salt water crocodiles, and everybody's favorite – the great white shark. Today, however, we're going to talk about another creature you don't want to meet on your next trip down under. It's called the jumper ant because it can jump as high as two inches into the air. But most people call it the bulldog ant, and with good reason.
These aggressive ants got their name from their powerful sting, strong grip, and savage biting behavior. Bulldog ants are fast and they're big, growing up to 1.6 inches in length. This makes them among the largest ants in the world. Their eyes are big, too, so they don't miss a thing. Their long mandibles are menacing, especially with their rows of long teeth.
But they're even more dangerous at their posterior end, where their venomous stinger is located. The ant's aggressive behavior is so famous, it was even immortalized in one of philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer's major works. "If it is cut in two," he wrote, "a battle begins between the head and the tail. The head seizes the tail in its teeth, and the tail defends itself bravely by stinging the head."
While aggressive behavior is the rule in a world that has been corrupted by sin, Christians exhibit a different kind of behavior – looking out for the benefit of others.
Heavenly Father, I pray that you will constantly remind me – especially when I am hurt by others – that I am not to return evil for evil. I am to return evil with forgiveness and love. Amen.
1 Kings 6:22
"And the whole house he overlaid with gold, until he had finished all the house."
Scripture tells us that Solomon's temple was overlaid with gold inside – the walls, the ceiling and even the floor! Solomon even decorated the Temple with gold, including over two U.S. tons of golden shields. Given the dimensions of the rooms, this would take a huge amount of gold.
For this reason, many modern scholars have expressed doubt about what the Bible reports. Scripture does report that Solomon's annual income was 25 tons of gold. We know that other world rulers in the ancient world held huge amounts of gold. We have all seen the golden treasures that were found in King Tut's tomb. Reliable Greek sources report that Alexander the Great discovered a hoard of 1,180 tons of gold in Susa. So there was obviously a great deal of gold in the ancient world. But what happened to all of Solomon's gold? The Bible records that after Solomon's death Shishak, king of Egypt, invaded Jerusalem and hauled away the Temple treasure. After his death a year later, his son Osorkon I became king. Three years later, Osorkon made an offering to the gods of Egypt of 383 tons of gold. Was some of that from Solomon's Temple?
There is no reason to doubt the Bible's lavish descriptions of Solomon's Temple. There was more than enough gold in the ancient world to do the job.
Lord, You are the generous giver of all good gifts. Help me always to hold Your Word as the greatest treasure. Amen.
AMAZING UNDERWATER EYES
Psalm 94:9
"He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? he that formed the eye, shall he not see?"
We love it when one of our listeners brings something of interest to our attention that we can pass along to other listeners. A listener sent us a link to an article at the National Geographic website on little-known facts about the eyes of animals. Though National Geographic treats evolution as fact, no mention was made that God created the eyes of these animals, but we are sure that our listeners will be quick to give credit where credit is due!
When asked which creature has the most eyes, the magazine replied that the world record holder is a type of mollusk called chiton. This ocean dweller has thousands of eyes embedded in shells on their backs. Most scallop species also have up to hundreds of eyes, as do giant clams. What's more, certain types of tubeworms called sabellids and serpulids have hundreds of small, compound eyes on their feeling appendages.
When asked which animal has the most advanced vision system, the article gave the nod to another underwater creature – the mantis shrimp. Their stalked eyes have three separate regions, and they are even able to see ultraviolet and circularly polarized light. Compared to our own three photoreceptors, mantis shrimp have up to sixteen! The crustaceans may use their photoreceptors to recognize colors right in the eye, rather than processing them in the brain, as we do.
If you come across anything in a book or a film that would be of interest to other listeners, please let us know by sending an e-mail to info@creationmoments.com.
Heavenly Father, thank you for giving me eyes to see and especially for giving me the eyes to see spiritual things that lead to eternal life. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
AMAZING WINTER MOTHS
Job 42:2
"I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee."
As fall comes to the temperate regions of North America, Europe and Asia, many birds head for warmer climates, and insects enter suspended animation. While it might appear that nature is shutting down for the winter, amazing things are happening. About 50 species of moths are awakening from spending the summer in suspended animation. Winter is when these moths are active, despite the fact that they don't have any of the biological antifreeze that some other creatures do. The metabolic costs of such chemicals would hamper their way of life.
Winter moths can live as they do – even though they freeze below 32 degrees Fahrenheit – because they emerge from the leaf clutter on the forest floor where temperatures almost never fall below 37 degrees. But when the air temperature rises above freezing, the moths emerge, shiver for several minutes to warm up, and look for food. Maple sap is among their favorite foods. One stomach full of this high-energy food provides enough energy for one of these moths to hibernate all winter. When active, they are able to increase their metabolism by over 8,000 times, using the same amount of energy that sustains them all winter, in a mere 30 minutes. Summer moths shed heat from the thorax, while winter moths conserve their heat with an entirely different heat exchange system.
Winter moths illustrate that there are no limits to what God can do. So if you are ever tempted to wonder how God could have made the entire creation in six days, just remember His winter moths.
I am comforted, Almighty Father, because You love me. Amen.
AMERICAN FLASHERS
Matthew 5:16
"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."
Some time ago here on Creation Moments we did a program about Asian fireflies that flash in unison. The unspoken question was, "Aren't there some American species that flash in unison?" Someone in Tennessee who saw the same reports on which our program was based had the answer to that question. She contacted a researcher at Georgia Southern University to report an American species that clearly flashes in unison. At first, researchers had a difficult time believing that there were other firefly species that could accomplish this difficult task. But now several American species that flash in unison have been identified.
The newly identified species is found in the eastern United States, as far north as Pennsylvania and all the way down to Georgia. Another species has been found in Texas. Yet another species is found in the Gulf states. In each case, the males synchronize their flashes, creating a dramatic light show. Some species flash in unison for hundreds of flashes, producing shows that last up to three or four minutes.
Researchers have tried to explain this complex behavior in what is supposed to be a simple species. What troubles them is that every explanation they come up with credits the firefly with having some sort of pacemaker in its tiny brain. To those with an evolutionary view, this is unacceptably complex. But for those of us who know we have an all wise Creator, the synchronized flashing of fireflies is but another sign of the excellence of His work.
Father, let my light shine before men so that others may see Your work. Amen.
AN EVOLUTIONARY QUANDARY
Psalm 14:1
"The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good."
How did life get started? We all know that the Bible tells us that life got started when God created it. But we have also learned, perhaps in school, or reading the news, that evolutionists believe that life could have started in the distant past all by itself if the conditions were right. Perhaps you have read that scientists can form amino acids in the laboratory. Besides the fact that amino acids are a long way from life, the amino acids made in the laboratory are the wrong kind for life. The idea that life can form spontaneously under the right conditions places modern evolutionary scientists in a very precarious position.
One assumption of evolutionary scientists is that the early Earth had no oxygen. Oxygen destroys amino acids. Yet geologists tell us that oxidation even in the oldest rocks proves that the Earth has always had an oxygen atmosphere. Besides, if the Earth didn't have an oxygen atmosphere when the first amino acids formed, that means there was no ozone, a form of oxygen, to protect those amino acids. Amino acids are quickly destroyed by ultraviolet light from the sun. So, you see, with or without oxygen, amino acids can't begin to form. The truth is that the Bible offers the only sensible explanation for the origin of life. As the great scientist Louis Pasteur said, "Life can only come from life," while the Bible tells us that eternal life can only come from the eternal life-giver – Jesus Christ.
Father, in Your wisdom, You have put to shame those who would deny that You exist. Thank You for salvation in Jesus. Amen.
AN OPEN-AND-SHUT CASE FOR CREATION
Genesis 6:17
"And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die."
Evolutionists hate the very idea of the worldwide flood because they know that such a catastrophe would cause the Earth to appear to be much older than it truly is. And without those long ages of time, evolution becomes an impossibility.
Surprisingly, dead clams – like many other sea creatures – have much to tell us about the flood of Noah's time. Clams are known as bivalve mollusks. They have two valves that are hinged together, and they can close their shells very quickly to protect themselves from predators. When a clam dies of natural causes, the clam releases its grip on its shell, and it opens within a matter of hours. But if a buried clam shell is found shut tight, it shows that the clam was buried suddenly.
We mention this because fossil clam graveyards are found all over the world containing millions of clams with their shells shut tight. This speaks to us of a catastrophe that buried billions of clams very quickly. In other words, the worldwide flood of Noah's time. Since these fossil clam beds are found all over the world – and are often high above their natural habitat – it can only mean that the biblical worldwide flood is a fact of history.
Now, if the Bible is right about the worldwide flood, the Earth is much younger than it appears to be, so there simply isn't enough time for evolution to take place. Graveyards of closed clams have given us an open-and-shut case for biblical creation!
Heavenly Father, thank You for providing abundant evidence that the Bible is true. I pray that You will remind me of these things when I am talking to Bible skeptics. Amen.
AN UNUSED RELIGIOUS ICON?
Psalm 9:17
"The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God."
Are we Christians becoming less able to defend the truths of Scripture, like creation? Dozens of studies show that not only are we, as a group, less ready to defend the hope that we have in Christ, but also we are less able to explain why we have that hope.
George Barna, president of the Barna Research group, has analyzed data from 28 religion surveys that he conducted between 1987 and 1996. In 1992, nearly 50 percent of those polled said that they had read the Bible during the previous week. By 1996, that figure had dropped to 34 percent. Yet, in another 1996 poll, 80 percent of those polled said the Bible is the most influential book in human history, and 76 percent said that the Bible is important to them.
Barna concludes from this kind of information that for many Americans, the Bible has turned into an unused religious icon. The result is a general biblical ignorance. Barna documents this fact with examples from other surveys. For example, 80 percent of those asked thought, incorrectly, that the statement, "God helps those who help themselves" was in the Bible. In another instance, 50 percent of those polled thought that Jonah was a book of the Bible while 10 percent thought that Joan of Arc was Noah's wife.
If we are to defend the great truths of the Bible – like creation and the flood – and show their relevancy to Christ's saving work, we must each look at ourselves. Shouldn't we all study the Bible more than we do?
Dear Father, increase in me a desire to study Your Word so that, with Your help, I can be more prepared to witness the hope of salvation I have in Jesus Christ. Amen.
ANCIENT MODERN STEEL
Isaiah 51:5
"My righteousness is near; my salvation is gone forth, and mine arms shall judge the people; the isles shall wait upon me, and on mine arm shall they trust."
The ages of human history are frequently divided into periods named after rocks and minerals. There was the Stone Age, the Bronze Age and the Iron Age. This evolutionary way of describing human history is based on the materials people used to make weapons and tools. On the other hand, the Bible describes man as developing his knowledge of metalworking within a few generations of his existence.
Researchers in 2000 were studying an ancient steel factory in Turkmenistan. The 1,000 year old steel factory produced the legendary Damascus steel, which was the strongest and most durable steel produced in ancient times. When the factory was operating, steel was heated to temperatures up to 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit. Researchers examined the pottery shards that are the remains of the crucible. They found traces of the steel they once held on the shards that told an amazing story. Some of the shards had traces of low carbon steel, while others had traces of high carbon steel. They concluded that the ancient steel makers were mixing the two together in a process called co fusion. The result was a strong, durable steel. What is amazing is that it was previously thought that co fusion was discovered in the 20th century!
While our knowledge may be growing today, we need to avoid false pride. The Bible teaches that the highest knowledge is the knowledge of God. His protection is better than any provided by the hardest steel.
Dear Father, I trust Your strength for my protection. Amen.
ANCIENT ROMANS AND NANOTECHNOLOGY
Hebrews 2:6b-7
"What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him? Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands:"
One of the most interesting artifacts at the British Museum is the Lycurgus Cup, a beautiful goblet made by the Romans sixteen hundred years ago. The cup depicts the story of King Lycurgus, entangled in grapevines for his treachery against Dionysus, the god of wine in Greek mythology.
But it's not the design that makes the cup of such great interest to scientists. When viewing the cup in normal lighting, the glass is jade green. But when the cup is lit from behind, the glass changes to a bright ruby red. What is this ancient sorcery that gives the cup its color-changing properties? It's the precise amount of silver and gold nanoparticles dispersed throughout the glass material.
New research has discovered that the cup even changes colors when liquid is poured into it. Scientists replicated the makeup of the cup and then filled it with various liquids. Their results suggest the cup might have displayed many different colors depending on what sort of beverage was poured into to it.
As one science website puts it, "researchers are just now, all these years later, learning about such color changing properties of materials with embedded nanoparticles. The hope is that these properties can be exploited to perform chemistry or medical tests cheaply and quickly by displaying different colors under different conditions."
Creationists need not wonder how the ancient Romans knew about nanotechnology. However far back you go in history, the ingenuity of man points to the even greater ingenuity of his Creator!
Heavenly Father, thank you for the discovery of ancient artifacts revealing that You gave early mankind more abilities and technologies than evolutionary scientists would ever expect. Amen.
ANOTHER ATTEMPT TO ERASE JESUS FROM HISTORY
Psalm 50:22
"Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver."
When most of us were in school, everybody knew that the terms "BC" and "AD" meant Before Christ and Anno Domine, meaning "in the year of our Lord." But those terms are disappearing as authors now prefer the terms "CE" and "BCE", which are abbreviations for "Common Era" and "Before the Common Era."
As the online encyclopedia Wikipedia points out, "since the later twentieth century, use of CE and BCE has been popularized in academic and scientific publications." It is also being used "by publishers wishing to emphasize secularism and/or sensitivity to non-Christians." In other words, they are changing the terms to erase Jesus from history under the guise of not wishing to offend anyone. The secularists, on the other hand, have no qualms about offending Christians.
This is what secularism does. It obscures the truth and even revises history in subtle or overt ways. Applied chemist and creation scientist Mark Cadwallader says that the use of CE and BCE is "clearly another example of the assault on Christianity. Radical atheists," he says, "have been agitating for freedom from any reference to Christianity and especially its founder. They will disguise and revise history itself to obscure the truth of Jesus Christ."
Here at Creation Moments, we believe that truth will ultimately prevail, but we must all do our part. That's why we encourage you to do everything you can to make all people, young and old, aware of the truth and consistency of a biblical worldview. And keep on using BC and AD!
Heavenly Father, though sinful man is trying to erase Your Son from history, they will not succeed. Someday every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord! Amen.
ANTZILLA!
Matthew 7:12
"Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets."
Welcome to Australia! This delightful continent is home to many of the world's most poisonous snakes and spiders, not to mention deadly sea creatures like the box jellyfish, salt water crocodiles, and everybody's favorite – the great white shark. Today, however, we're going to talk about another creature you don't want to meet on your next trip down under. It's called the jumper ant because it can jump as high as two inches into the air. But most people call it the bulldog ant, and with good reason.
These aggressive ants got their name from their powerful sting, strong grip, and savage biting behavior. Bulldog ants are fast and they're big, growing up to 1.6 inches in length. This makes them among the largest ants in the world. Their eyes are big, too, so they don't miss a thing. Their long mandibles are menacing, especially with their rows of long teeth.
But they're even more dangerous at their posterior end, where their venomous stinger is located. The ant's aggressive behavior is so famous, it was even immortalized in one of philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer's major works. "If it is cut in two," he wrote, "a battle begins between the head and the tail. The head seizes the tail in its teeth, and the tail defends itself bravely by stinging the head."
While aggressive behavior is the rule in a world that has been corrupted by sin, Christians exhibit a different kind of behavior – looking out for the benefit of others.
Heavenly Father, I pray that you will constantly remind me – especially when I am hurt by others – that I am not to return evil for evil. I am to return evil with forgiveness and love. Amen.
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