Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Creative Days Dispute Resolved

There is no real dispute between the Bible and scientists when speaking about the age of the earth and the creation account – only between science and so-called creationists and Christian Fundamentalists who claim that the universe and earth were created in literal 24-hour days.

There is nothing in the Bible to support such an idea. It belongs in some cartoon panel along with the idea that Noah's Ark was a cute little double-bowed vessel with a little cabin on top.

To start with , look carefully at the Biblical account in Genesis 1: 1. It is clear that the universe, including the sun, moon, and our earth where created at some indefinite time before the start of the creative days described in the first chapter of Genesis. Scientists claim that the universe, including the earth are not some six-thousand or years old as Creationists claim, but billions of year old and that is very realistic.

It is not just realistic from a scientific point of view but also from the Bible's perspective both because obviously some time lapsed between the original creation of the Universe and the final preparation of the earth for life on it and also because the creative days described by Moses do not have to be a literal 24-hour period of Creationists claim; they could comprise a much longer period as shown by the Bible's use of the term day to refer to period of up to a thousand year and indefinite periods of time. Moses description of all of the creative days together making up one day at Genesis 2:4 is good example of this.

Some persons might object to this reasoning claiming that most of the time the Bible speaks of a day it means one literal 24-hour day. And this is true. But it does not always do this.

Moreover while the Bible speaks of the start of the Seventh Day it says that this day started immediately at the conclusion of the Sixth Day – but nowhere in the Bible does it says that this day ended – so it is still going on –well over 6,000 years since its beginning.

So it becomes clear from the facts that there was obviously two stages (mentioned) to the creation of the universe and our earth, and the final six creative days were not a literal 24 hour period that there is not conflict between science and the Bible about the creation of our Earth.

Friday, April 2, 2010

Ancient City of Nineveh Builds Bible Credibility


 

The ancient peoples of the Middle city of Nineveh would one day become nothing more than a memory. It was an awesome city -- a 200 square mile metropolis surrounded by formidable walls that for 15 centuries made it impregnable.

But during the height of its power Zephaniah made a prophecy that it would become a desolate waste – on which nothing but droves of sheep would find pasturage.

This seemed a ridiculous prediction – even by Nineveh's enemies. None of them ever thought anybody would be able to breach the city's 100 foot stone walls which had 20 story towers in each of its corners so invading armies could be tracked by the city's defenders while they were still miles away.
And even when they did reach the city its defenders could easily drive t hem away by firing down on them from the towering walls and towers. But another prophet, Nahum, predicted that much of these walls would be destroyed by rising
flood waters.

And this is exactly happened 20 years later. A flood washed out large sections of the walls in 632 B.C.E. and Babylonian and Median soldiers raced through the washed out sections and razed the city – in fulfilment of Zephaniah's prophecy as well.

This destruction was so great that even its ruins disappeared over the centuries. Nobody knew exactly where the site of ancient Nineveh was until modern archaeologists discovered it buried under 40 feet of debris and earth – on top of which shepherds were grazing their sheep – in fulfilment of Zephaniah's prophecy.