The Awesome Dinosaurs

The allegation has been made that dinosaurs and other fossils are "awkward" for creationist. But the truth is that dinosaur fossils, and fossils in general, attest to the reality of the Genesis Flood. 

For one thing, the shear number of large and small remains, encased and mineralized within the layers sedimentary rock all over the world is exactly what we would expect to find if the biblical account of a global Flood really happened. It is not, however, consistent with the uniformitarian assumptions on which the evolutionary view of geology is founded. 

Under the normal circumstance that we currently observe, an animal dies and its remains are eaten by scavengers and rot away; leaving no geological record of their existence. Only in the event of a great catastrophe do large numbers of both great and small animals become buried in sediments quickly enough for their remains to be preserved and mineralized; many of them being partly, some even mostly articulated.

Aside from that, within the fossils that are found; soft tissues, non-mineralized biological material is discovered. Dinosaur bones have been discovered having non-mineralized blood cells, vessels, nuclei, and skin tissues. Check it out: 

(https://answersingenesis.org/fossils/3-soft-tissue-in-fossils/). 

These findings show that the remains are not millions of years old. And so do all the instances in which radiometric dating methods are used on rocks of known ages and come up with wildly inflated "dates": 

(https://answersingenesis.org/geology/radiometric-dating/does-radiometric-dating-prove-the-earth-is-old/). 

Dinosaurs and fossils are no problem for Christians who take the historical narrative of Genesis as the divinely inspired truth. The difference between creationists and evolutionists is a matter of how we interpret the scientific data. Creationists can appreciate the great reptiles as a part of God's handiwork, which He created on the sixth day, along with all the other beasts, reptiles, and creeping things; as well as the first man and woman whom He made uniquely in His own image.

At that time, "in the beginning", there was no death, no suffering, no disease, and no carnivorism. The creatures with sharp teeth and claws would have used them for braking open such things as coconuts, and pineapples. But sin came into the world through one man, Adam; and death came as a result of sin. And everyone dies because all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 5:12, 3:23, 6:23). 

And when human wickedness, and violence had reached a crescendo during Noah's lifetime, God sent a great Flood to destroy humanity from the face of the earth. But by God's grace, Noah and his family were saved. God warned Noah to build an Ark, which He instructed him to make approximately 500 feet long, 75 feet high, and 45 feet wide; having three levels, and rooms inside (Genesis 6). Large wooden ships with similar measurements are also detailed in other ancient historical texts (https://answersingenesis.org/noahs-ark/the-large-ships-of-antiquity/).

So Noah followed God's instructions. The Flood came and the whole earth was covered (Genesis 7). And the turbulence of the earth caused the fountains of the great deep to break open, (Genesis 7:11) creating what we now refer to as tectonic plates. Massive amounts of sediment were moved from one place to another, swiftly burying beasts, reptiles, fish, and flying creatures; both great and small. The earth remained flooded for the length of a year, with the waters just beginning to recede about half way through the Flood year (Genesis 7:24-8:19). 

The face of the earth was dramatically changed. The receding Flood waters carved out many of the canyons that we observe today. And in the years following the Flood, tectonic activity broke the earth into continents, and caused mountains of sedimentary layers, with creatures buried in them during the Flood, to be pushed up into the clouds before they solidified and became the monuments that they are today. These monuments, laden with the remains of creatures, both great and small, including the great reptiles, stand to remind us of the judgement of a holy God, but also of His grace, by which He saved Noah and His family.

By that same grace, Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, came personally into our world and preached the gospel of His kingdom. His kingdom is at work in the world today through His followers, until it is is fully consummated by His return and His final judgement of the world which is in rebellion against His kingdom. He gave His human life on the cross to ransom many from sin (Matthew 20:28) and rose again so that by trusting in Him, we can be a part of His kingdom; reconciled to God who is love, and who created us in His own image for the purpose of love (2 Corinthians 5:12-21, 1 John 4:8, Genesis 1:26-27, Matthew 22:37-40). 

Why Nye Doeth Fly Awry

Bill Nye has said that the creation/evolution debate is not a religious or theological one, but strictly scientific. He has claimed that he does not attack any religion, but that the creation worldview is simply unscientific and therefore untenable. He also admits that he does not know much about theology. At least he's right about that last part. 

What he fails to understand is that once one acknowledges the existence of the Creator and Owner of the universe; one automatically allows for the possibility of supernatural miracles. Once one places their faith in Jesus Christ, through whom the universe was made, (John 1:1-5, Hebrews 1:1-2) it becomes entirely unnecessary to accept the evolutionary worldview. Keep in mind the fact that evolution and creation are simply variant interpretations of the same scientific data. 

The evolutionary interpretation of scientific data was first used and developed by individuals who began first by rejecting God as the Creator of the universe. They did not disprove God, but they began with the assumption of atheism, and interpreted the data according to that assumption. Thus, the evolutionary view is, from the very start, an attempt to explain the complexity of the universe and life, without God. 

However, modern science first began to thrive in Europe because of the conviction of such notables as Francis Bacon, Copernicus, and Isaac Newton that the universe was made by an orderly Creator and sovereign Lawgiver. Without faith in an orderly Creator/Owner of the universe, there is no rational ground on which to expect the universe to operate in an orderly way, that can be systematically observed and studied in the first place.

Nye mocks the idea of the Genesis Flood and Noah's Ark. But on what basis does he mock the biblical account? His mocking is based on the assumption that there is no supernatural God. Thus, he actually is attacking faith, in spite of what he says. He recently said that he would like to challenge the Creation Museum to build a real ark, just like Noah's, and put it to sea for a full year. 

He, of course, is skeptical that such an endeavor would be successful. And perhaps it would take Divine intervention to preserve the Ark during the year of the Genesis Flood; but no more so than it would take for a hiker to survive a brutal encounter with a bear or a lion, and such miracles have happened. However, the dimensions of Noah's Ark (500ft long, 75ft wide, and 45ft high) were good and proper. There are many other examples of large wooden ships, with similar dimensions to those of Noah's Ark, in ancient history (1).

But here's the point: Bill Nye begins with the assumption that Divine intervention should be completely ruled out from the start. But the creation model is free from that constraint right at the outset. We creationists believe that the Creator/Owner of the universe is real. And we interpret the scientific data according to His word. In fact, the intervention of an orderly Creator and sovereign Lawgiver, is the very foundation on which we expect there to be orderly laws in the universe at all. 

Now, we can show that the biblical creation interpretation makes more sense in a lot of ways. We can point to the complexity and order of genetic information (2, 3). We can point to discrepancies between the geological layers and fossils on the one hand, and the doctrines of evolution and deep time on the other. Polysrate fossils (4), soft tissue found in fossils (5) , unfossilized remains of dinosaurs (6, 7) are all very good; we like those. Dating methods that come up drastically wrong when used on rocks of already-known ages (8), lunar recession (9) and the faint sun paradox (10, 11) are all very good points as well. 

But the starting point of belief in the orderly Creator and sovereign Lawgiver of the universe is the most important thing. This faith gives us the rational ground on which to expect orderly laws in the universe; yet also sustains the flexibility to allow for the possibility of supernatural miracles. Apart from this faith, there is no reason on which to expect order or miracles, either one, in the universe. 

The flight of Bill Nye's thoughts is off course. And Jesus Christ tells why that is. He said, "You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God" (Matthew 22:29). The power of God is the only reason that there even is order in the universe at all. And so, as a scientist, Nye's life work is the study of God's work - the universe. Yet he begins his study with the assumption that the One who created and reigns over the universe does not exist. So Nye's is not an intellectual error so much as it is a spiritual error. But that error misinforms the way he interprets the data. He interprets the data in accordance with a worldview that undercuts, and mocks itself. 

Now, since the expulsion from Eden, we are all born with a fallen, sinful nature; characterized by enmity against God who is love (John 4:8), and who originally created humanity in His own image (Genesis 1:26-27) for the purpose of love (Matthew 22:37-40). Enmity against God is the spiritual error that causes all spiritual error. But like Saul of Tarsus, (Acts 9) sinners may surrendering to God, and have the blinders of sin removed from their spiritual eyes; that they may see, and fly aright. Everyone who trusts in Jesus Christ is reconciled to God. "For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus".

The Head and the Heart

Suppose two people are debating which part of the body is most important. Imagine that one of them insists the head is the most important part, while the other firmly defends the heart as being the most important. But isn't it true that the body must have both a head and a heart to live, and can not dispense with either one?

The literal, bodily resurrection of Jesus the Messiah is the heart of Christian doctrine and apologia, and the Genesis creation/fall is the head. It hardly seems reasonable to believe the one and not the other. 

And actually, the resurrection is a validation of the history recorded in Genesis. Jesus constantly made statements that validate both the Divine inspiration and the historicity of the Old Testament narrative. (For examples, see John 5:46, John 8:56, Luke 24:25-27, Mark 10:6, Matthew 5:18, Matthew 23:31-35, and Matthew 26:52-56). And His resurrection gives assurance that Jesus is the Son of God, so that His statements possess Divine authority.

But Jesus' resurrection from the dead was not merely to prove that He is the Son of God. Jesus arose from the dead to conquer death. God considers death to be an enemy to be destroyed (1st Corinthians 15:21-26). Death is not a part of the original created order. It was introduced into the world by sin. (Romans 5:12).

For theistic evolutionism to be true, there would have to be billions of years of death, disease, and suffering before humans even appeared on the earth. 

If the sedimentary rock layers of the geological column were laid down slowly over 4.5 billion years, the fossils inside them would show this to be the case. Death would be a part of the original created order. And so it would be silly for God to view death as an enemy to be destroyed. 

However, if the rock layers were laid down slowly, there would be no fossils in them. Those organic things would have decayed in open air, being reduced to dust before the sediment could cover them. This is especially obvious in the case of polystrate fossils.

Those layers were laid down after the Genesis fall. And they were laid down swiftly, by the flood that God sent to judge sin during Noah's lifetime. And truly, all scientific data can be best interpreted and understood within the framework of the Genesis creation/fall/flood scenario.

When Paul the apostle addressed a pagan audience at the Areopagus in Athens, he gave a message that centered on creation (Acts 17:24-30). Note the sweet affirmation that all nations are descended from one man (verse 26). So far, Paul's audience listened.

It's a rum thing because at the end of his speech he mentioned the resurrection of Jesus the Messiah. And it was at that part that some in his audience mocked him (verses 31 & 32). This is the opposite of what often happens in contemporary Christian apologetics. 

Nowadays, it is common for people to believe in the resurrection and yet scoff at Genesis. It is as though Paul's generation viewed the head as the most important part, and saw no use for the heart. And the current generation views the heart as most important, and sees no use for the head. 

Visit: 
www.answersingenesis.org
www.icr.org
and http://creation.com/

A Natural Mystic

"Many more will have to die

Many more will have to cry - Don't ask me why

I say things are not the way they used to be - Don't tell no lie

One and all have got to face reality now

Though I try to find the answer

To all the questions that they ask" Bob Marley; Natural Mystic

Disclaimer

I have thought twice about whether or not I should write a post based on a Bob Marley song, since this is a blog about Christian theology. I'm not a Rastafarian, as Bob Marley was. Rastafari is a false-gospel (Galatians 1:8-9). 

Not that I would exalt myself over anyone. I know that I am a sinner and that I am only saved by God's grace.

But Haile Selassie was not a reincarnation of Jesus the Messiah, or God the Father, as Rastafarians believe he was. In fact he personally denied being the reincarnation of Jesus the Messiah, or God the Father. 

Jesus Himself warned that false-prophets and false-messiahs would come, and that we must not believe in them (Matthew 24:4-5, 23-25).

However, even the apostle Paul sometimes quoted pagan poets and philosophers to make a point (see Acts 17:28, 1st Corinthians 15:33). And many of Bob Marley's lyrics are based on the Scriptures. So I enjoy his music while being careful to discern biblical truth from unbiblical falsehood.

I like reggae music and I have a lot of Bob Marley's material in my collection. And I also enjoy listening to Christafari and other artists who play reggae music with a strong emphasis on biblical, non-Rastafarian theology.

Body

Recently, Natural Mystic came up on my mp3 player as I had it on shuffle. In the song, Bob Marley describes the brokenness and injustice of this world in contrast to "the way [things] used to be". We do live in a world of suffering, and death, and violence. We live in a world that is broken by the curse of sin.

According to the evolutionary worldview, however, things are precisely the way they have always been. According to the evolutionary doctrine of uniformity, the world has always been undergoing the same processes at the same rates as it is at present. 

According to evolutionary philosophy, there never was a perfect world in the beginning; from which humanity has fallen away, and to which Christ has come to restore us. For as long as life has existed, there has always been suffering, disease, and brokenness - for as long as the universe has existed - from the very beginning. 

If the sedimentary rock layers of the geological column were laid down slowly over billions of years of evolutionary history, than the fossil record is indeed a record of suffering, disease, and death from the very beginning; with no such cause as the curse of sin. There are fossil evidence of animals having cancer and other terrible ailments; as well as ferocious predatory carnivorousness.

"Though I try to find the answer to all the questions that they ask"

The theistic evolutionist is at a remarkable disadvantage when it comes to answering the question of why there is suffering, disease, and death in the first place. If theistic evolution were true, than God created the world broken and cursed from the very beginning, because He likes it that way - BROKEN!

In his book, Contact, Carl Sagans attributed his rejection of God to this: that in his view, if God exists He created a broken world. Richard Dawkins has also attributed his atheistic beliefs to his "understanding of evolution".

But Sagans was wrong. And Dawkins is wrong. God's word is Truth (John 17:17). And Bob Marley was at least right about this one thing: 

"Things are not the way they used to be - Don't tell no lie

One and all have got to face reality now"

In truth, God created a perfect world in the beginning. He did not create a sin-cursed, rebellious, violent, sorrow-pierced, broken world. 

The world became the way it is because of the decision made by Adam and Eve, using their free-will to disobey God. The gospel is predicated on this.

"Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned...For if by one man's offence many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:12, 15).  

This does not mean that every time something bad happens to an individual, that that particular person is being punished for a specific sin. But what it does mean is that the reason suffering, disease, and death even exist in the first place is because of sin. 

And as unpleasant as we may find it, we are all inheritors by birth, of a fallen human nature. As the Scriptures attest:

"Behold I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me" (Psalm 51:5).

As for the geological column, which is mentioned above: These sedimentary layers were laid down swiftly during the Flood, burying the creatures that have since become fossilized. They are a record of God's judgment on sin. 

All the great fountains of the deep were broken up (Genesis 7:11), and the rain fell for forty days. And the water covered the earth for a year. Most of the world's current mountains are made of sedimentary rock layers which were laid down by the Flood; and have been pushed up and bent by tectonic activity, which was first caused by the breaking up of all the great fountains of the deep.

Check out the linked sites below to read material written by trained scientists who affirm biblical creation.
www.answersingenesis.org
www.icr.org

Subterranean Flood-Sick Blues

Genesis 7:11 provides and interesting detail concerning the Great Flood. "...on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened."

So as the Scriptures tell, there was water coming down in the form of rain for forty days; and water was also being released in vast quantities from great, broken-up, subterranean fountains. 

It is the view of Flood geologists that prior to the Flood, the tectonic plates were one whole, unbroken layer of the earth. In this view, the tectonic plates are the broken-up "fountains of the deep". 

Certainly, the Flood of Noah's time changed the face of the earth. Prior to that Flood, the earth was not as topographically extreme as it is in our time. There were hills and mountains from the time of creation. But there was nothing like the highest mountains or the lowest valleys and basins of our time. 

Most of the mountains on the earth at present are composed of sedimentary layers, which were laid down by the Flood, and have become bent and pushed up by shifting tectonic plates.

This explains why there are fossilized clam shells at the highest points of the earth. It also explains why bent layers of sedimentary rock are not fractured and broken. They were still soft when they were pushed up and bent by tectonic activity.

The topographical extremes of the post-Flood world ensure what God Himself decreed, that He will never flood the whole earth again, as He did in those days (Genesis 9:11-17).

But the final judgment of sin will come by fire. As the Scriptures tell: 

"But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells" (2 Peter 3:10-13).