The Fallacy Of Evolution (Part 4)

by Micky Galloway

Some charge that the Bible cannot be considered the Word of God because it teaches an outdated set of assertions about science. The Bible is not a book of science, so it does not speak in scientific language. It does not describe things in the technological vocabulary of the scientist; rather, it describes things from the standpoint of man. The Bible was never designed to be a revealed textbook on science. It is God’s revelation to man pertaining to salvation. Yet, the claim that the Bible is verbally inspired cannot be sustained if what it teaches regarding the universe are in conflict with the facts of science. Therefore, in order for the Bible to be inspired of God, it must be a book which harmonizes with the known facts of science. It is the purpose of this article to establish that the Bible is scientifically accurate.

Dr. Carl F. H. Henry stated this as follows: “No claim is made that the sacred writers, as individuals, were personally exempt from the naive world-view of their own day, nor that their writings articulate a classified and systematized science involving general laws. What is claimed is that, as the messengers of holy revelation, they were lifted beyond their own capacities, and that their declarations bearing upon nature and upon man are as reliable as their teaching about God and His activity” (Dr. Carl F. H. Henry, Contemporary Evangelical Thought, “Science and Religion”, page 269). That is a good statement of what I believe happened with reference to the science which is in the Bible.

The superintendence of God in the writing of the Bible is seen by the absence of contemporary sciences to which the various writers of the Bible were exposed. Although Moses was schooled in all the knowledge of the Egyptians (Acts 7:22), he did not incorporate into his writings the science of the Egyptians. There is no trace of the popular Egyptian theories of origins: i.e. the world came from a flying egg; man came from the white worms of the Nile. Instead we read, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth…” (Genesis 1:1, 26-27; 2:7). Though Daniel was “skillful in all wisdom, and endued with knowledge and understanding science” (Daniel 1:4), he did not record any of the Babylonian myths, magic or mysteries in his writing. Yet, the Babylonians came to him for wisdom, not vice versa (1:20; 5:11-12). The prophets stood against false wisdom of their day. Their writings agree with true science.

Some, ignorant of the Bible, claim science contradicts the Bible by referencing claims of men. For example some claim life arose from inorganic matter. The Bible claims life comes from life. Others claim that the earth is the center of the universe. Ptolemy the Egyptian, ancient astronomer, geographer, and mathematician considered the earth the center of the universe, the “Ptolemaic system.” This theory was promoted for years by Roman Catholicism. This concept is not found in the Bible, but stems from the idea that since humans are the center of God’s attention, therefore the place where they live must be the center of God’s universe. This is neither a logical nor biblical. In fact, the Bible states that the heavens “fix their rule over the earth” (Job 38:33), demonstrating that the heavens control the earth and not the other way around. Superstitious medical remedies are not found in the Bible (i.e. lizard blood, swine teeth, putrid meat, animal excreta, etc.). Why? Because God superintended the writing of the Scriptures to prevent the “sciences” of the ancients from being placed in the Bible. The God who created this universe is the same God who wrote the Bible (Psalms 19:1, 7-9). We should not be surprised, therefore, to see a remarkable harmony between His creation and His revelation.

Consider these statements of fact found in the Bible that were later “discovered” by science.

• The Earth Is Round - Proverbs 8:27 (~1000 BC); Isaiah 40:22 (740-690 BC).
  1. 384-322 BC: Aristotle argued for a spherical earth, but few were convinced.
  2. 1520 AD: Introduction of the compass and voyages of Columbus and Magellan finally brought general acceptance that the earth is round.
• The Earth Is Suspended On Nothing - Job 26:7 (2000-1600 BC). (Clear, in unscientific terms.)
  1. Men thought the earth was flat and supported on the shoulders of Atlas.
  2. 1608 AD: Invention of the telescope by a Dutch optician, Hans Lippershey.
  3. 1687 AD: Sir Isaac Newton and his “Law of Universal Gravitation” (Principia) . The earth is suspended in its orbit by the attraction of the sun.
  4. The earth weighs six billion trillion (6 x 1021) tons. To replace the gravitational pull of the sun it would take the strength of a steel cable 8,000 miles in diameter!
• The Stars Are Without Number - Genesis 15:5 (~1400 BC); Jeremiah 33:22 (~600 BC). (cf. Isaiah 40:26; Psalms 147:4; Romans 1:20.)
  1. 150 BC: Hipparchus taught there were less than 3,000 stars. (A Greek astronomer and mathematician who discovered the precession of the equinoxes, calculated the length of the year to within 6 1/2 minutes, compiled the first known star catalog, and made an early formulation of trigonometry.)
  2. 150 AD: Ptolemy counted 1,056 and claimed the actual number was not over 3,000.
  3. 1608 AD: Galileo used a telescope and announced the number of stars “innumerable.”
• There Are Paths Of The Seas - Psalms 8:8 (~1000 BC).
  1. 1855 AD: Matthew Fontaine Maury, upon hearing Psalms 8:8 read to him by his son, set out to discover and chart the oceans’ sea lanes and currents. (Statue of Maury in Richland, VA.)
• There Are Channels In The Sea - II Samuel 22:16 (~1000 BC).
  1. 1504 AD: Juan de la Costa made the first ocean soundings, but did nothing to change the universal view that the ocean floors were flat, sandy beds like our deserts.
  2. 1840 AD: James Clark Rose made oceanic soundings to a depth of nearly 2,000 fathoms (12,000 feet).
  3. 1971 AD: First complete map of the ocean floor showing the “recesses of the deep.”
• There Are Springs Of The Sea - Job 38:16 (~2000-1600 BC); Genesis 7:11; 8:2 (~1400 BC).
  1. 1930 AD: Fresh water springs discovered on the ocean floor.
  2. 1945 AD: Underwater volcanoes discovered.
• The Water-Vapor Cycle - Job 36:27-28 (2000-1600 BC); Ecclesiastes 1:7 (~1000 BC).
  1. The sea is not full - Evaporation and water cycles.
  2. 350 BC: Aristotle comprehended the water-vapor cycle and published his “Meteorlogica” .
  3. 1770 AD: Benjamin Franklin observed the movement of water by storms (river-to-sea-to-river water cycle).
• Life Is In The Blood - Leviticus 17:11 (~1400 BC).
  1. ~350 BC: Herophilos, physician of the Museum of Alexandria, advocated blood letting as a means to get rid of disease. They thought blood carried DISEASE instead of LIFE!
  2. 1616 AD: Dr. William Harvey, British physician, discovered blood circulates and is used over and over.
  3. 1800 AD: Barber-surgeons were professional blood letters. This is the history of the red stripe on barber poles.

What many thought to be scientific knowledge contemporary with the writers of the Bible is not found in the Bible. Yet, an understanding of the physical world is revealed which transcends the writers’ ability to discover at the time they wrote the Bible. How do you reconcile that? This is more than coincidence. The Bible is not the product of man’s knowledge and ability. It is the inspired word of God (II Timothy 3:16-17).