Science Verifies Biblical Facts (Part 2)

Part 2 continued...

Celestial bodies don't last forever

By definition, a celestial body is a natural object outside of the Earth's atmosphere. We now know that stars and other astronomical bodies die. Science has confirmed this, but the Bible also mentions it.

"Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away." ~ Matthew 24:35

Discovering astronomical bodies, such as comets, asteroids and meteors, can be credited to Tycho Brahe (1546-1601), Isaac Newton (1642-1727) and Edmund Halley (1656-1742). For centuries, scientists believed comets traveled in the Earth's atmosphere and eventually died, but in 1577, observations made by Brahe revealed they actually traveled beyond the Moon. Newton was first to realize that comets orbit around the Sun and return to Earth's atmosphere after a certain number of years. And Halley did the calculations to know when the comet appeared in the past and when it would return in the future. But it wasn't until the 21st century that mankind actually learned that planets, such as Mars, could indeed die.

The universe is made of invisible particles

In the Book of Hebrews, it reads:

"By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible." - Hebrews 11:3

It sounds like the Bible is talking about atoms. Protons, neutrons, and electrons on their own are invisible to the naked eye. Atoms make up pretty much everything, including us.

While J.J. Thomson (1856-1940) discovered the electron in 1897, it was Vera Rubin (1928-2016), whose astronomical studies of galaxy rotation in 1980 led to the first real evidence that 84% of the Universe is made up of mysterious, invisible particles of dark matter.

David could have actually defeated Goliath

A small boy defeating a large giant might sound unlikely, but the story of David and Goliath in 1 Samuel 17 says otherwise.

"As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground." - 1 Samuel 17:48-49

According to author Malcom Gladwell (b. 1963), many people mistakenly believe that David was carrying a child's toy, but in reality, it can be an absolute weapon of war in the right hands! The stones in the Elah Valley, where the battle took place, were made of barium sulphate, which is extremely dense (twice as dense as ordinary stones). Therefore, David's slingshot could easily be compared to the awesome power of a .45 caliber pistol.

Some scientists agree that Goliath being a giant could have caused acromegaly (overproduction of growth hormone), which can cause problems with central and peripheral vision. Which would leave a person to wonder... did Goliath properly see that stone being flung his way in time to move out of the way?

Either way, it is recorded that not only did David kill Goliath with that single hard stone but cut off his head for all to see!

There are mountains underwater

These landforms are actually called seamounts and are mentioned in the Bible.

"You covered it with the watery depths as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains." - Psalm 104:6

In 1954, the researchers published a map showing an underwater mountain range, which they named after the 18th-Century poet and naturalist Mikhail Lomonosov (1711-1765), who had predicted 200 years before that such features would be found in the Arctic basin. Lomonosov Ridge is a vast mountain range running from the continental shelf of Siberia towards Greenland and Canada. The mountain range stretches for more than 1,700km (1,060 miles), its highest peak is 3.4km (2.1 miles) above the ocean floor.

Yet, this is just one underwater mountain range. American and European researchers claim to have discovered tens of thousands of new mountains emerging on our planet, with at least 5,000 under the ocean.

The reason why we don't know about their appearance until now is because all the mountains are located on the ocean floor. Researcher Dave Sandwell from Scripps Institution of Oceanography (USA) discovered the existence of these mountains in the water using radar satellites and publishing his findings in journals Science Magazine.

The Sun actually stopped moving

Did the Sun really "stand still" for an entire day? Some researchers believe this was an eclipse that dated back to 30 October 1207 B.C., but wouldn't that event have caused darkness to fall upon the land? Joshua was clear in his narrative:

"On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel: 'Sun, stand still over Gibeon, and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.'"

It is interesting to note that parallel accounts in the records of other nations show the incident of "Joshuas Long Day" is not an isolated one. There is indisputable evidence from the modern science of ethnology that such an event occurred as Joshua records. In the ancient Chinese writings, there is a legend of a long day. The Incas of Peru and the Aztecs of Mexico have a similar record. There is a Babylonian and Persian legend of a day that was miraculously extended. Herodotus (c/484-c/425 BC), an ancient historian, recounts that while in Egypt, a priest showed him their temple records, which mentioned a day which was twice the natural length of any day that had ever been recorded (Robert Boyd, Boyds Bible Handbook, pp. 122,123).

Creatures can't live without blood

Most of us are familiar with the Adam and Eve story of the Bible. Humans have, in fact, a female biological ancestor called Mitochondrial Eve, which precedes our species (Homo sapiens). There is, however, one thing that connects all of us living creatures: blood.

"For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life" (Leviticus 17:11).

Two chapters of Genesis (2:4 & 3:24) tell the story of Adam and Eve and a specific take on the origin of mankind. And while it’s understandably challenging to imagine a person being formed out of another person’s rib, science says it’s likely that all of Homo sapiens really did have a common ancestor — a “Mitochondrial Eve” (via Your Genome).

Meanwhile, Leviticus 17:11 talks about how the life of a creature is in its blood. A person can consider a literal interpretation of this to be scientifically accurate. Apart from traveling around the body to supply oxygen, nutrients, and other vital elements for continued survival, blood also protects the body via infection-fighting agents, prevents blood loss through clotting, regulates body temperature, and even ensures that waste products go to the liver and kidneys like they’re supposed to.

Sanitizing is really important

The Covid pandemic has taught mankind the importance of sanitizing our hands and clothes in order to avoid spreading germs, but the Bible mentioned its importance a long time ago.

"Anyone who picks up their carcasses must wash their clothes, and they will be unclean till evening. These animals are unclean for you." - Leviticus 11:28

"As part of your equipment have something to dig with, and when you relieve yourself, dig a hole and cover up your excrement." - Deuteronomy 23:13

Meanwhile, Leviticus 11:28 and Deuteronomy 23:13 emphasize the importance of cleaning oneself after handling corpses and the proper disposal of decomposing matter, respectively. It may come as a surprise that even though such guidelines are now staple parts of directives from the Department of Health, this wasn’t always the case. Take the story of Ignaz Semmelweis (1818-1865), the father of handwashing, as an example. As explained by FlipScience, his investigation of a mid-19th century outbreak of childbed fever in Europe revealed that doctors of the time didn’t wash their hands properly when they went from handling cadavers to assisting women in childbirth.

Isolation contains diseases

While proper quarantines developed later in history, the Bible advised the following measures to be taken:

"The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “When anyone has a swelling or a rash or a shiny spot on their skin that may be a defiling skin disease, they must be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons who is a priest. The priest is to examine the sore on the skin, and if the hair in the sore has turned white and the sore appears to be more than skin deep, it is a defiling skin disease. When the priest examines that person, he shall pronounce them ceremonially unclean. If the shiny spot on the skin is white but does not appear to be more than skin deep and the hair in it has not turned white, the priest is to isolate the affected person for seven days. On the seventh day the priest is to examine them, and if he sees that the sore is unchanged and has not spread in the skin, he is to isolate them for another seven days." - Leviticus 13:1-5

The idea of isolating a patient suffering from a “defiling skin disease” for seven days and observing if their skin condition improves is evidence of quarantine before quarantine was even officially a thing.

According to FlipScience, the practice of holding or isolating infected patients for 40 days actually started in 1377 A.D., when the city now called Dubrovnik, Croatia forced ships from areas affected with the Black Death to undergo a 30-day isolation period.

Science Verifies Biblical Facts (Part 1)

For centuries science and religion have butted heads when it comes to the authenticity of the Christian Bible and some of the narratives contained within its pages. Yet, in the 20th century many questions were answered in regard to some the Holy Book's stories. The 21st century continues to show mankind that science and religion sometimes goes hand-in-hand.

The following facts proclaim a scientific approach to various verses of biblical literature:

Earth is round

While some conspiracy theories might say otherwise, science has confirmed the shape of our planet as round. This is mentioned in the Bible:

"He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth." (Isaiah 40:22).

Around 500 B.C., Pythagoras (c/570–c/495 B.C.) reasoned if the Moon was round, so the Earth should also be spherical. This was further expounded upon around 420 B.C. when Anaxagoras (c/500–c/428 B.C.) determined the world was round by the shape of the Earth's shadow during a lunar eclipse.

Around 350 B.C., Aristotle (384–322 B.C.) declared the Earth was a sphere, based on his astronomical observations. But it would not be until the 20th century that science would finally prove this fact after launching the first man (Yuri Gagarin of USSR/Russia) into space in 1961.

The planet's core is hot

As for the core of the Earth being hot, the Book of Job mentions it:

"The earth, from which food comes, is transformed below as by fire." - Job 28:5

An early female scientist named Inge Lehmann (1888-1993) first discovered in 1936 the Earth's core was divided into two distinct parts: a solid inner core and a molten outer core.  Before that, seismologists believed Earth's core to be a single molten core.

Today, some scientists proclaim that volcanic activity is the planet's main cooling mechanism. Other scientific studies show that volcanoes continue to form - such as the islands of Hawaii and Iceland - and might be linked to the core by mantle plumes that transfer heat from the core to Earth's surface.

Earth floats in space

If you're looking for Biblical confirmation that the Earth floats in space, then look at the Book of Job again, which reads:

"He spreads out the northern skies over empty space; he suspends the earth over nothing." Job 26:7

Discovered in 1475 by Nicolaus Copernicus, ancient astronomers found that the earth hangs literally on nothing, or "is free floating in space". By the 20th century, the well-known scientist, Albert Einstein, confirmed this with his theory of relativity.

Water changes state

The water cycle, also known as the hydrologic cycle, is a well-known phenomenon. It turns out the Bible mentions this mysterious occurrence more than once.

"All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again." ~ Ecclesiastes 1:7

"He calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out over the face of the land." ~ Amos 9:6

"He draws up the drops of water, which distill as rain to the streams; the clouds pour down their moisture and abundant showers fall on mankind." ~ Job 36:27-28

"He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth; he sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses." ~ Psalm 135:7

The water phenomena have been studied since ancient times, notably by Homer (c/800 B.C.) who believed the land mass floated on a body of water and that most of the water in rivers has its origin under the earth, by 500 B.C., Greek scholars were speculating that much of the water in rivers can be attributed to rain.

The first published thinker to assert that rainfall alone was sufficient for the maintenance of rivers was Bernard Palissy (c/1510-c/1589) in 1580 A.D. Palissy is often credited as the "discoverer" of the modern theory of the water cycle.

The scientific consensus expressed in the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Summary for Policymakers is for the water cycle to continue to intensify throughout the 21st century, though this does not mean that precipitation will increase in all regions.

The great flood likely happened

The Great Flood and Noah's Ark is one of the most popular stories of the Christian Bible. And, according to geological evidence, the Noachian flood might have actually happened.

"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." ~ Genesis 6:17

Psalms 107:25-30 - "For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof." ~ Psalm 107:25

Evidence for a global flood exists all over the world. The first bit of evidence is the fact that science has discovered marine fossils high above sea level on every continent as early as the 19th century. Some of these fossils have been found in the walls of the Grand Canyon and 30,000 feet up in the Himalayas. According to a news statement released by the British Natural History Museum, marine fossils continue to be discovered in unlikely places as recent as July of 2021.

The ark would have worked

According to the Book of Genesis, God's instructions to Noah were as follows:

"The ark is to be three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide and thirty cubits high." ~ Genesis 6:13-22

A general consensus agrees that a cubit is about 18 inches. With this definition of a cubit, the dimensions of the ark would have been roughly 450 long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. 

According to calculations made by physics students at the University of Leicester in 2014, the basic physics suggest than an ark carrying a lot of animal cargo ark would have actually floated and safely carried pairs of each animal species through the Great Flood!

There are countless stars in the sky

Everyone on the planet knows that the universe has a lot of stars. The Bible actually mentions an infinite number of stars in the Book of Jeremiah:

"I will make the descendants of David my servant and the Levites who minister before me as countless as the stars in the sky and as measureless as the sand on the seashore." ~ Jeremiah 33:22

For many centuries the stars have played an important role in religious ceremonies and used as navigational tools for traveling at night. Early astronomers, such as Johannes Kepler (1571-1630), grouped the stars into constellations to track the movement of the Sun and the planets. But it wasn't until the 20th century when Edwin Hubble (1889–1953), an American scientist and astronomer, played a crucial role in establishing the fields of extragalactic astronomy and observational cosmology in the 1930s. He is credited with discovering there are more galaxies beyond the Milky Way, which means more stars.

Not all stars are created equal

The Bible also mentions that stars' brightness or magnitude varies.

"The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor." - Corinthians 15:41

In 1908, American astronomer Henrietta Swan Leavitt (1868-1921) discovered a direct relationship between the rate at which a *Cepheid fluctuates in brightness and its luminosity or absolute brightness. By the year 2020, astronomers had identified more than 2 million variable stars, mostly in our galaxy.

*Cepheid is a type of star that pulsates radially, varying in both diameter and temperature and producing changes in brightness with a well-defined stable period and amplitude.

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