CHRISTIAN EVIDENCES
The Bible -- Its Scientific Accuracy
In our first lesson we noted reasons for our belief in the existence of God, and our second lesson was a study of the wonderful unity of the Bible. Now we are ready to consider a second reason for believing the Bible to be a Special Divine Revelation, which is the agreement of the Bible and science.
We must remember first of all that the Bible is not a textbook of science, but of religion. We do not expect to find out all about every phase of science in the Bible, but we can find enough material to show evidence that the writers were inspired.
I. The Bible contains many scientific truths which man did not discover until centuries after the Bible was written. The fact that the Bible writers knew these things is evidence that they were directed by some power wiser than man.
The following are some examples of this scientific foreknowledge:
a) For centuries most men believed that the world was flat. Later, it was discovered that the earth was round and was hanging is space. But centuries before this discovery was made, Isaiah mentioned the circle of the earth ( Isaiah 40:22 “It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.” ). Solomon wrote of the circle of the deep ( Proverbs 8:27 “When He prepared the heavens, I was there, When He drew a circle on the face of the deep,” ). And Job wrote: Job 26:7 “He stretches out the north over empty space; He hangs the earth on nothing.” How did these men know these things unless they were directed by the inspiration of God?
b) Astronomers have discovered that there is a great empty space in the north. By turning their telescopes every direction they find countless stars, but when they look to the north they find none. This is a fairly recent discovery to the men of science, yet in the long ago Job wrote: Job 26:7 “He stretches out the north over empty space; He hangs the earth on nothing.”
c) Until recently little was known about the importance of blood. Also, men have finally discovered that all men are made of one kind of blood, regardless of the color of their skins. Though our blood may differ in types, yet it is one kind of blood and can easily be identified as that of human. Paul said in his sermon on Mars Hill in Athens : Acts 17:26 “And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings,”
Long before this Moses wrote that life is in the blood, note: Leviticus 17:11
“For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.”
This is another scientific fact that men did not know until many years after Moses. Yet, Moses knew it. How could Paul and he have known unless God told them?
d) The preacher once wrote: Ecclesiastes 1:7 “All the rivers run into the sea, Yet the sea is not full; To the place from which the rivers come, There they return again.”
We are told that about 286,000 cubic miles of water flow annually into the sea. This has been happening for centuries. Today scientists can explain the mystery of evaporation and the cycle of water, but how did the writer know it? We must conclude that the matter was revealed to him by God.
II. In addition to these examples of scientific foreknowledge, it is also interesting to notice that the writers of the Bible were not influenced by ideas and errors of the age and countries in which they lived.
Two examples of this are seen in the writings of Moses and Daniel:
a) Acts 7:22 “And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and deeds.” Even though Moses was educated in Egypt , none of the theories of the Egyptians concerning the beginning of the world from a flying egg, or the origin of man from the white worms of the Nile are found. Instead he wrote that God created all things ( Genesis 1-2 ). How was he kept free from the ideas of the Egyptians, unless God directed and protected him as he wrote?
b) Daniel lived in Babylon . The Babylonians sought him for his wisdom, but he did not seek theirs. No where in his writings do we see a trace of the myths and legends of these people. How did he know they were not true? Surely God must have directed and revealed to him as he wrote.
III. The Bible not only agrees with modern science, but it disagrees with modern error. The theories of today that are not scientifically true also contradict the Bible.
For example, the theory that man came from a process of evolution contradicts the story of the Bible. This theory also contradicts science in the following points:
a) It fails to account for the origin of life and how life entered into matter so as to produce man.
b) It fails to account for the change of the man from purely matter to consciousness.
c) It fails to explain how man became a rational being with some ideas of moral living and with personality.
Science has never discovered any truth that contradicts the Bible. The theory of evolution is not in harmony with either science or the Bible.
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Scientific Fact or Principle
Principle Date Discovered Bible Location
Man and women posses seed of life 17 th Century Gen. 3:15 , 22:18
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A place void of stars in the north 19 th Century Job 26:7
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Earth is held in place by invisible forces 1650 Job 26:7
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Taxonomical classification of matter 1735 Genesis 1
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The earth is round 15 th Century Isaiah 40:22
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Day and night occur simultaneously 15 th Century Luke 17:24
on earth
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Certain animals carry disease harmful 16 th Century Leviticus 11
to men
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Early diagnosis of leprosy 17 th Century Leviticus 13
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Quarantine for disease control 17 th Century Leviticus 13
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Blood of animals carries disease 17 th Century Leviticus 17
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Blood necessary for survival of life 19 th Century Leviticus 17:1
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Oceans have natural paths in them 1854 Psalms 8:8
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Earth was in nebular form initially 1911 Genesis 1:2
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Most seaworthy ship design is 30:5:3 1860 Genesis 6
ratio
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Light is a particle (has mass, a photon) 1932 Job 38:19
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Radio astronomy (stars give off signals) 1945 Job 38:7
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Oceans contain fresh water springs 1920 Job 38:16
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Snow has material value 1905, 1966 Job 38:22
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Infinite number of stars 1940 Genesis 15:5
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Dust is important to survival 1935 Isaiah 40:12
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Hubert Spencer's scientific principles 1820 Genesis 1
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Air has weight 16 th Century Job 28:25
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Light can be split up into component 1650 Job 38:24
colors
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Matter is made up of invisible particles 20 th Century Romans 1:20
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Plants use sunlight to manufacture food 1920 Heb. 11:3, Job 8:16
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Arcturus and other stars move through 19 th Century Job 38:32
space
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Water cycle 17 th Century Ecclesiastes 1:7
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Life originated in the sea 17 th Century Genesis 1
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Lightning and thunder related 19 th Century Job 38:25
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Man was the last animal created 15 th Century Genesis 1
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Chart prepared by John N. Clayton, High School science teacher in South Bend, Ind.
Question: How did the Bible writers know these things centuries before science discovered them? Answer: God told them!!!!!!!!