Which is it? Is the Bible all true, partly true, or mostly fables with little credibility? Is there anything in the Bible that would verify that it had divine inspiration? Is there any knowledge in it that would be over and above human
knowledge at the time of the writing? Let's look at five such verifications of the Bible. Verification Number One Imagine yourself living 3,000 years ago. Imagine yourself writing a book. Like everyone else in your day, you wonder what holds up the earth. Surely it has to rest on something. We know about the force of gravity only
because modern scientists have discovered it. Aside from that knowledge, living on the earth, observing only what a human can see and feel, wouldn't it be the logical conclusion that the
earth rests on or is supported by something? What did ancient man believe the earth rested on? The book "World Mythology" (1) says this:
"The world was often said to rest on the back of a turtle". Wouldn't that make sense to human beings living thousands of years ago? Wouldn't it seem logical that the earth would rest on something
slow and steady? Yes it would. So, not knowing better, a giant turtle might be thought of as an ideal platform for the earth. Not all cultures believed in the turtle answer though. The book "Myths and Legends" (2) tells us
more: "When one examines the writings of the Hindu, Buddhist or Greek pagan worships, for example, one finds clear reference to the concept of the
earth being held up by a man, elephant, catfish, or some other physical support." Whatever the particular answer, ancient logic and belief was that the earth had some kind of physical support. How then was the Bible able to get it right? How could a man writing a book - 2,800 years before the discovery of gravity - possibly get
it right? Notice what the Bible says in Job 26:7, "He stretches out the north over the empty place, and hangs the earth on nothing". All of us have seen pictures of the earth taken from outer space. Isn't that exactly how the earth appears? As if it is hung on nothing? And indeed,
isn't gravity, the force we now know holds up the earth, something that is not seen? This scientific statement, written 3,000 years ago, was against all logic, against all that was known at the time. I submit to you that this
correct knowledge, this scientifically accurate picture, came from something or someone higher than man; that it was divinely inspired. Verification Number Two Let's look at more Bible statements. This time about fountains, or springs, or wells, in the oceans. (The Hebrew word used in the Bible can mean any
of those three). Notice Gen 7:1, telling about the flood. It says, "In the six hundredth year of Noah's life...were all the fountains [springs] of the great deep broken up . . . " Notice Prov 8:29 that says, "Wisdom was there when God established the clouds above, and strengthened the fountains [springs] of the deep." Are there really fountains or springs in the oceans? If your answer is that the Bible was wrong about that, you would have seemed correct for some
3,000 years. Correct until 1977 that is. Despite sixty years of modern submarine activity, ocean springs were unknown and undiscovered until 1977. With only 5% of the ocean floor explored guess what? In 1977 scientists found springs in the ocean off the coast of Ecuador.
(3) They were found at an ocean depth of 1.5 miles! They contain super heated water of about 450 degrees, and are called Hot Springs. The article reported more springs. It said scientists exploring another section of ocean expected to find springs 125 to 200 miles apart.
Instead they were much closer together. The scientists found six springs about 60 miles apart. As you consider this, remember that the springs were discovered with only 5% of the
ocean floor explored. How many more springs might there be in the other 95%? Some Bible skeptics claim the oceans and the atmosphere together do not contain enough water to flood the earth to the depth needed to cover the
mountains. That criticism does not hold up, especially after the discovery of ocean springs, because the Bible says the springs in the oceans were broken up at the time of the flood, which
would increase their flow. These newly discovered springs cause even more problems for Bible skeptics. How much extra water could the broken up springs produce? Notice this
quote: "There is probably as much water circulating under the sea floor as there is in the oceans above." (4) Isn't that remarkable? You might want to ponder that a moment. The Bible statements about springs in the oceans, written 3,000 years ago, were against all logic, all that was known, or indeed could possibly have
been known, at the time. I submit to you that this correct scientific knowledge came from something or someone higher than man; it was divinely inspired. Verification Number Three In a message given to my church I stated that there was no new cells being created today. I based that on studies where several
scientists said, "All cells come only from existing cells." (5) One of my listeners, Levi, was certainly paying attention. He came to me afterward to ask a good question; "If no new cells are being created
today, where do the trillions of our body cells body come from?" Levi's question prompted me to do more research on cells. That research led me to what I consider verification of
the Bible number three. In Gen 35:11 the Bible tells us this, "And God said unto him, I am God Almighty; be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of you, and kings shall
come out of your loins." There are five other references to "coming out of your loins" in Genesis, Exodus, Kings, and Chronicles. Let's notice Hebrews 7:5 that says, "And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood . . . though they come out of the loins of
Abraham". An explanation may be helpful. Abraham is an ancestor to the sons of Levi. Now notice verse 10 that really makes my point, "For he [Levi] was yet in the loins of his father [Abraham], when Melchizedek met him." A little explanation may again be helpful. The Bible is saying Levi, who was born after Abraham, was present at this earlier meeting because he was
there in the loins of his father [Abraham]. Is that scientific? Is that real? Was Levi present in the loins of his great grand father Abraham? Were we present in the loins of our father before
we were even born? In the loins of our grandfather? Was our father in the loins of his father? Is it a metaphor? Is it an allegory? My further study of cells showed the Bible statements are very scientific. The Scientific Evidence In previous studies I had read several scientific statements like this, "Cells come only from existing cells." The conclusion given in my
message that new cells are no longer being created was correct. The confusion arises from the fact that new cells are being made, but they come only from an already existing parent cell.
Levi's question that prompted me to do more study led to a better definition from the book "Cell and Molecular Biology" "Cells can only arise by division from a pre-existing cell." (6) So what appears to be newly created cells are actually existing cells dividing themselves. Every human starts out as one cell, which divides and multiplies. That one cell was the result of an existing cell - one from each parent. Where did
our parent's one starting cell come from? From their parents. Lewis Thomas (7) puts it this way, "You start out as a single cell derived from the coupling of a sperm and an egg". "The Way Life Works" (8) says, "We each began as an egg fertilized by a sperm, a single cell." Biologist Gerald Karp explains it this way, "The production of offspring by sexual reproduction includes the union of two cells," (9) So there you have it. We start out as a single cell, which resulted from the union of two cells, one from our father and one from our mother. Which
means, and this is vital, that original cell existed in your parents before you were born. . Where did our father and mother's one cell that started us come from?
From their parents. And so on, we can keep going back and back through our ancestors. All humans, and indeed science tells us, all life including animals and plants, came from cells that existed in their parents. I belong to the Spencer family genealogical society. Our lineage is traced back to four brothers who immigrated to Connecticut in 1630. Their parents
were born in 1576 in Stotfield, England. The point is that for $99 the Society will do a DNA test to establish that a member did or did not come from a particular ancestor. Many members are
taking advantage of this comparatively low priced service. This ability to DNA test for a far back ancestor I find quite remarkable. My son Craig told me his family obtained a mixed breed dog from the pound. He added that for a $1,000 the pound will do a blood test and tell them
exactly what breeds his dog's ancestors were. I find that also quite remarkable. It's All about Ancestors So it's all about ancestors, isn't it? Just as the Bible said! The book "Medusa and the Snail" (10) supports these conclusions as it says this, "All of today's DNA, strung through all the cells of the earth, is simply an extension and elaboration of that first molecule."
Substitute cell for molecule and it goes back to the first cell, even to Adam and Eve. The book "Cell and Molecular Biology" (11) sums it up when it says, "Cell division, therefore, forms the link between a parent and its offspring; between living species and their extinct ancestors."
So the many Bible statements about "being in the loins of" are accurate, are scientific. But how did the Bible writers know that scientific principle thousands of years ago? It was not until 1855 that a German scientist named Rudolf Virchow learned about cells and stated that: "All cells come from existing cells." (12) Even then Virchow's statement about cells was not universally accepted until it was finally proven correct with the explosion of modern cell research
in the 1950's. The book adds that in 1880 August Weismann pointed out that, since cells come from pre-existing cells, "all cells today can trace their origins back to ancient cells." Yes, science says we can trace our present day cells back to the ancient cells of our ancestors. The Bible statements written from 3,000 to nearly 2,000 years ago were based on cell knowledge not known at the time. I submit to you that this
accurate scientific knowledge came from something or someone higher than man; it was divinely inspired. Verification Number Four For centuries skeptics said the Bible was stories and myths told by ignorant shepherds and nomads. For example, the skeptics taunted, where is the
city called Ur? It could not be found. Ur was the city the Bible patriarch Abraham was said to have left to dwell the rest of his life (about 125 years) in tents as commanded by God. The
account is found in Genesis 12:1 and 15:7. Nehemiah 9:7 also confirms it. The New Testament talks about it in Heb 11:9-10. So for hundreds of years the skeptics had a field day with Ur. Because it was not found, the skeptics said Ur proved the Bible wrong; proved the Bible
to be myths and unfounded legends. But in 1854 the city of Ur was found! Not much excavation work was done however. It took an Englishman named Leonard Wooley to excavate Ur. He labored there from 1922 until 1934. What
Wooley found amazed scholars and laymen alike. It turned out Ur had been a powerful, prosperous, colorful and busy capital and trade center. It was a sophisticated city, highly
organized. In a surprising contrast, Babylon the Great had simple mud buildings. But Ur, which was built 1,200 years before Babylon, had homes made of burnt
brick, much like ours today. Were the homes in Ur simple 3 to 4 rooms? No! Wooley found they had been 2 story villas, with 13-14 rooms surrounding a courtyard. They had a modern
lavatory up the stairway. There was more than enough room for the family, their servants, and guests. One workshop made 12 kinds of clothing. The names of the mill girls and their quota of
rations, even to the weight of wool given each worker, and what each produced, was all recorded. Tax receipts had been meticulously kept by week, month, and year. How about mathematics? Tables and formulas computing square and cube roots were found. How about architecture? Surprisingly the architects of UR used all of today's engineering techniques; the column, arch, vault, and dome, The Ziggfurat, which was the city's main religious structure, was built 400 years before Abraham. It was three stories high, with walls that all
sloped inward, there was not a straight line in it. All walls were slightly curved so as to minimize what would otherwise be an over powering strength effect. The principle is called
"entasis", and was lost after Ur and not re-discovered till the Parthenon at Athens. So the finding and lengthy excavating of Ur took away the skeptics taunts and claims. Ur became another important confirmation that the Bible was
accurate. Footnotes: (1) World Mythology by Donna Rosenberg, published 1994 by NTC Pub. Group, Lincolnwood,
IL. (2) Myths and Legends by Neil Philip, published 1999 by DK Publishing, NY. (3) The Medusa and the Snail by Lewis Thomas, published 1979 by Viking Press, NY.
(4) Creation Corner article "Evolution and Humans are just Animals". (5) Introductary Biology by Linda R. Berg, published 1997 by Saunders College
Publishing. (6) Cell and Molecular Biology by Gerald Karp, published by John Wiley and Sons,
NY. (7) The Medusa and the Snail (8) The Way Life Works by Mahlon Hoagland and Bert Dodson, published 1995 Times
Books, NY. (9) Cell and Molecular Biology (10) The Medusa and the Snail (11) Cell and Molecular Biology (12) From the web site spacedaily.com/news/life-03h.html. Written by: C. Frazier Spencer
Mr. Spencer's attends services with: terrehautecog.org
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