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.
No comments:
Post a Comment