X-Rey Files

This small-scale example helps us understand how a global flood can drastically affect geology.

The floodwaters (above) of the Canyon Lake Spillway along the Guadalupe River in Texas were moving at 107,000 ft³/sec (normal 175 ft³/sec). After the waters receded, carved bedrock was the result of the rushing water (below).

With the world becoming more unstable everyday along with weather and natural disasters increasing, people are finally thinking about the future, particularly about the end of the world.

There are a lot of videos circulating around the internet about conspiracy theories in America, particularly martial law and such!

However, the word of GOD and the spirit of prophecy suggests an alternative.  I have no doubts that martial law and concentration camps seen in the videos will be utilized, but persecution due to population does not address righteous versus unrighteous dilemma as the Bible describes.

According to the word of GOD and the spirit of prophecy, the saints and the righteous will be persecuted! Population issues does not differentiate between the two.  I believe the issues that will usher the end will be in spiritual/religious form: GOD’s people versus the world!

If America pursued such actions depicted in the videos, it would leave it vulnerable, weak, & chaotic - it would certainly fall! But if the Bible and SDA interpretation is correct, America will be strong and united with the rest of the world under the guise of “spiritual unity/ecumenism,” promoting unbiblical teachings/doctrines singling out those who refuse to follow man’s traditions/laws.  Of course I don’t doubt that some secular issue may result in Armageddon, but the depictions/interpretations in these videos do not mesh with the biblical picture.

Whatever the case - if you are right with GOD, there is nothing to fear. HE will either hide and protect you, or HE will give you the strength to overcome! For the people of GOD, IT’S A WIN WIN SITUATION!

I was browsing through my sent messages on my Andrews email account and I found an old picture that I had edited for a friend.  She had her hair up one weekend and we joked about how it reminded me of the ant queen in that animated move “Ants.”  Then I realized it kinda reminded me of the Borg Queen on Star Trek.  She’ll probably be pissed but here it is:

We all have biases and world views, and my world view centers around God and the Bible. My faith in a God plays an important role in my beliefs including the history of Earth and life. Some of my basic beliefs include a literal 6 day creation, a young Earth, & the universal flood as the Bible records it; intelligent design and special creation are automatically included. I am content with the evidences that can be found both in scriptures and in science, and thus I am confident with my beliefs.

Some have interpreted the Genesis creation account as poetic and therefore not to be taken literally. They rightly argue that the account is written in poetic form. However, it is interesting to note that a study done with Hebrew verb forms show that Genesis 1:1-2:3 is “statistically classified as a narrative with a probability of 0.9999” based on the study (DeYoung 2005, pp. 167-168). The study focused on the fact that preterite verb forms dominate narrative stories whereas the imperfect and perfect verb forms dominate in poetic texts (DeYoung p. 162). Using “logistic regression” for statistical analysis, the study shows the results stated above.

For support from scriptures, I turn to Jesus and the Sabbath. Jesus acknowledged Moses’ writings (John 5:45-47) and plainly stated that the Sabbath “was made for man” (Mark 2:27). Jesus accepted the Sabbath as a literal 24 hour day and upheld the 4th commandment which in detail describes when and why the Sabbath was created. According to the 4th commandment, “in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth… but He rested on the seventh day” (Exodus 20:11). Some have suggested that the seventh-day was supposed to be eternal and therefore, imply that the weekly cycle was post-sin. In Isaiah 66:22-23 however, it suggests that a weekly Sabbath will continue to be celebrated and acknowledged in the New Earth; therefore, I believe we can rule out the idea that the weekly cycle was an afterthought - a post-sin institution. In an interview with Pastor Dwight Nelson, he argued that the word “Yom” (day) with an ordinal number always meant literal 24 hours except for one out 150 times. By upholding the 4th commandment and acknowledging the writings of Moses, Jesus taught and accepted the literal 6 day creation and the rest of scriptures seem to be in harmony with this.

If I am to believe the argument of the literal 6 day creation, meaning that I accept Moses’ writing as literal, then I must believe that the Earth is relatively young, or at least life on Earth was fairly recent. Dr. Richard Davidson, who gave a talk in class, pointed out in his handout that the chronogenealogies of Genesis 5 and 11 “have unique interlocking features… and reveal an intention to make clear that there are no gaps.” Even if there were gaps, as is common in the other genealogies recorded in scriptures, it would not greatly affect the young Earth concept. Some of the scientific evidences for a young Earth would be sedimentation rates in the modern world and in the rocks, small amount of sediments in the oceans, and rate of erosion of the continents (Brand 1997, p. 266).  Each year, water and winds erode about 20 billion tons of dirt and rock from the continents and deposit it on the ocean (Millman & Syvitski 1992). Plate tectonic subduction is a slow process and only removes about 1 billion tons of sediments yearly while the other 19 billion tons of sediment simply accumulate; however, the average depth of all the sediment in the whole ocean is less than 400 meters (Hay et. al 1998). Carbon-14 used in dating, according to Dr. Don DeYoung, has been found in fossils and geological records supposedly dating millions of years old according to secular science. The half-life of Carbon-14 is 5,730 years. Ten half-lives would be 57,730 years and any thing older than 100,000 years old should have undetectable amounts of Carbon-14 or be “Carbon-14 dead,” yet their study shows traces of C-14 in ancient materials, organic and inorganic, such as fossil fuels and diamonds (DeYoung 2005, pp.47-49).  Another evidence that may support the young Earth model, or at least pose a complication in the conventional geologic interpretation, are the time gaps in the geological record (Brand 1997, p. 256).

The evidences for a universal catastrophe such as Noah’s flood in the Bible can also contribute to the evidences for a young Earth because it can explain biodiversity and geographical diversity we have today, an alternative explanation to the natural evolution theory. First I begin with scriptural evidence for a flood. Again, I turn to Jesus and what He believed. I’ve already established that Jesus accepted Moses’ writings as literal and historical accounts. In Matthew 24:36-39 and in Luke 17:25-28, Jesus acknowledges Noah and the flood. In Genesis 6:17, God says that He will destroy “all life under the heavens,” and in Genesis 7:19, “all the high mountains under the entire heavens were covered.” In verse 23, the Hebrew “kol hayqum,” translated as “every living thing,” literally means “all existence” conveying universality. Dr. Richard Davidson, also argues that the duration of the flood implied universality.  After the flood, God commands Noah to bring the creatures out so they can populate the earth (Genesis 8:17) which supports the idea of a universal catastrophe. One may also reason that local floods are easy to escape from, and there would be no need to “re-populate” the Earth if only local wildlife was destroyed.

Evidence for a universal flood will also contribute to some issues raised that concerns the age of the earth. Sedimentation rate, according to secular science, was measured in meters of sediment per thousand years, but as Brand points out, during a flash flood, sedimentation rate can be as fast as one million meters per thousands years (p. 215). Brand also points to the Shinarump Conglomerate, a formation that covers more than 100,000 square miles in Utah and neighboring states. “This formation is composed of sand and rounded pebbles like those found in stream beds. Streams can make deposits that meander through a valley, but they don’t create uniform deposits over thousands of square miles;” thus, Brand concludes that a “catastrophic event over a large area in a fairly short time seems more realistic” (p. 223). Other arguments Brand uses for support of a universal flood is the evidence that much of North America was under water in the Cambrian period and that the “earth was covered largely by water sometime in the past” (pp. 224-226). There are many fossils that show creatures being buried suddenly and unexpectedly. A fossil of an ichthyosaur in the Staatliches Museum fur Naturkunde, Stuttgart, was buried and fossilized while giving birth, a “clear evidence” of having been “buried quickly by water-borne sediments” (Cardno 1999). A different source for evidences of a global flood that I would use, include cultural legends that talk about a flood. Most, if not all, cultures on Earth have some story about a flood. I’m sure there are other evidences for the universal flood and it will be interesting reading those sources and will definitely reinforce my beliefs in a global flood catastrophe.

These evidences support the Biblical accounts and suggest that the Bible is a reliable source and thus, will ultimately support or point to the existence of the supernatural, particularly of a God. One interesting study concerns Chinese ancient writings that seem to support the Biblical accounts including Noah’s ark, and that the ancient people of China recognized a God quite similar to the one we find in the Bible. The study is based on ancient Chinese characters that actually reveal the Genesis account. In an ancient Chinese ritual so-called “Border Sacrifice,” a bull or lamb was sacrificed to their god named “ShangDi,” the heavenly ruler who created the world. Infact, the following words were recited concerning the creation of the world: “Of old in the beginning, there was the great chaos, without form and dark… You made haven. You made earth. You made man. all things with their reproducing power got their being” (Nelson 1998). Nelson in the same article goes on to point out other similarities between “ShangDi” (the name of China’s ancient God) and “El Shaddai” (one of the Hebrew titles for God). Infact, the ritual of “Border Sacrifice” has the same concept as the sacrificial rituals of the Old Testament in the Bible. She also added that “all the elements of the Genesis narrative are found recorded, and still in use, in the Chinese character-writing.” What I think is significant about this realization/discovery, is that these ancient symbols are thousands of years older than the oldest copy of the Old Testament we have – the Dead Sea Scrolls. The study on ancient Chinese characters, along with the similar flood legends from many cultures around the world, to me reinforces the stories and records of the Bible.

Finally, all the above supports my belief in special creation: evidences that support a relatively young Earth with the evidences that support Biblical historical accounts which ultimately points to a God who created life. This is why I believe in special creation because I think Theistic evolution has some serious theological problems. Theistic evolution implies that death was a natural process before the first sin on Earth. Yet I know from scriptures that death is one of the effects of the fall of man. This creates contradictions in God’s own character. Pastor Dwight Nelson said, “God is love and equals no fear” and that if theistic evolution is right, then “death becomes strategic,” which contradicts the teachings in scriptures in which death comes post-sin. I do not deny their belief in God and Intelligent Designer; in my opinion however, the differences are significant enough that I see no way to reconcile the God they believe in with the God of the Bible that I believe in. Brand lists evidences favoring megaevolution on page 266. Out of the list, I would consider that the precise sorting of fossils in the fossil record, time required for cooling of laccoliths, and radiometric dating are the most challenging to my young Earth belief. As mentioned in class, current radiometric dating methods are tested with one another and are consistent for the most part. Taking in mind the geological evidence against old age of the Earth, my response would be to differentiate between the age of the Earth and life on Earth. Rocks maybe be old, but I believe during creation week God “moved” around stuff and started creating life on earth; not necessarily recreating the rocks itself since according to Genesis 1:1-2, the Earth itself was already in existence prior to creation week. I believe that catastrophic geology/theory (the universal flood) would answer many or most of what we see in the geological and paleontological records. I don’t know enough about laccoliths, but I choose to reject the secular interpretation, party due to the other evidences both scientifically and theologically since my faith plays a major part in my world view.

The precise sorting of fossils is a challenge since it is hard for me to imagine that a global catastrophe such as a flood would bury living things in such an organized fashion. The Christian scientific communities have proposed different scenarios and hypothesis that would result in such arrangement. Brand points out that one should not think of deposition of fossils such as one would find on the beaches from the ocean since that type of deposition would be random. Rather, fossilization can occur under water with heavier matter sinking first. However, I am not totally satisfied with these explanations and accept the fact that, at present, we have no satisfactory answers.

Having gone through this course, learning about so many different data, many of them conflicting one another (due to the different world views), has made me realize that faith plays a major part for both secular scientists and creationists. Both groups have the same data, they same scientific processes, etc… yet the interpretations can differ. None of the data directly proves one or the other world views, but I am content with the data that points to or that supports creationism. As science continues to progress as research continues, maybe we’ll have a clearer answer, or a solution that may explain away the challenges for either one of the views. In an interview with Dr. Oystein LaBianca, I asked him a question pertaining to the possibility, and his response was that his faith does not rely on what science may or may not reveal. Although a scientist, he is also a Christian and he acknowledges the in congruence that currently exists and he is fine with it. His response as well as evidences for creationism/young Earth model has given me contentment in regards to the in congruence and has helped me realize that as a Christian, faith should not be dependent on science or things that are explainable. Aside from the neutral evidences, I think the Christian community has a fair amount of evidence that shows the reliability of the Bible and its narratives.

—–BIBLIOGRAPHY—–

Brand, Leonard. 1997. Faith, Reason, & Earth History. Berrien Springs, MI:
Andrews University Press.

Cardno, Steve. 1999. The (Second) Greatest Catastrophe of All Time.
Creation. 22(1):10-14.

DeYoung, Don. 2005. Thousands…Not Billions. Green Forest, AR: Master
Books, Inc.

Garner, P. 1997. Green River Blues. Creation. 19(3):18-19.

Hay, W.W., et al. 1988. Mass/Age Distribution and Composition of
Sediments On The Ocean Floor and The Lobal Rate of Sediment Subduction.
Journal of Geophysical Research. 93(B12): 14,933-14,940.

Millman, John D. and James P.M. Syvitski. 1992. Geomorphic/Tectonic
Control of Sediment Discharge To the Ocean: The Importance of Small
Mountainous Rivers. The Journal of Geology 100:525-544.

Nelson, Ethel. 1998. The Original ‘Unknown’ God of China: An Ancient
Pictogram Script Points to The Bible. Creation. 20(3):50-53.