6. Scientific Evidence

CHAPTER SIX

SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE

In chapter 4, we learned that the Bible claims there is a God in heaven and the Bible is His Word. In this chapter we will begin to examine the evidence to see if these claims are true.

In chapter three, we learned the process of gaining knowledge. Please allow me to review the highlights of that chapter at this time.

The definition of opinion is, "a conclusion drawn without sufficient evidence to establish it as a fact." The definition of knowledge is, "a firm mental grasp of a truth," and the definition of faith is, "mental acceptance, trust and commitment." The process of gaining knowledge is gathering and weighing evidence. The ways we gather evidence are through our five senses and the testimony of others. The way we prove testimony is by submitting it to four tests. These four tests are: Is there a sufficient number of witnesses, are the witnesses competent, are there ulterior motives, and is there any contradictory evidence?

We will now pretend that we have one of those old fashioned scales before us. (The one with the 'T' shaped frame and a cup on either side). We will gather the evidence, then we will weigh it. Through this process we will gain the knowledge that THERE IS A GOD IN HEAVEN AND THE BIBLE IS HIS WORD! Based on this knowledge, we should place our trust in Him and commit ourselves to the obedience of His will.

Now let us gather the evidence.

THE BIBLE AND HUMAN SEED XE "HUMAN SEED" : Genesis 3:15 (NKJV), "I will put enmity between... your seed and her seed...." (A woman had seed) Genesis 22:18 (NKJV) "In your seed (Abraham) all the nations of the earth shall be blessed" (A man had seed.) From these two seemingly unrelated verses, we find a truth which was not discovered by the scientists until the end of the 18th century. The truth is that both male and female possess the seed of life. It was previously thought that the complete child was in the father and then placed in the mother who served only as the soil that was necessary for a seed to grow.[1] How did Moses know this scientific fact? Did he have a microscope? Was he wiser than all the other wise men of his day? How is it that all the wise scientists rejected this truth until it was discovered just a few short years ago? This interesting Bible fact is by no means final proof that there is a God in heaven, but we can certainly use it as a piece of evidence to show that God does exist, that He knows all things, and that He directed Moses to record this truth thousands of years before it was discovered by scientists. Place this evidence into the “Yes” cup and watch the scales as they begin to tip.

CIRCUMCISION : Genesis 17:11,12 "And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. He that is eight days old among you shall be circumcised...." (NKJV)

Why would a loving God want to put a baby through such pain? Why did He demand the eighth day? These and other questions could be raised when we think about circumcision. Let us first consider, Why the "eighth" day?

Babies are more susceptible to bleeding between the second day and the fifth day of their lives than at other times. Vitamin "K," which aids in the blood clotting process, is not found in a baby's blood, in the normal amount, until the fifth to the seventh day. The eighth day of an infant's life is the first safe day to operate.

Another ingredient that is necessary for the clotting of blood is Prothrombin. On the first day of a normal baby's life, the baby has 90 percent of the normal amount of prothrombin in his blood. On the second day, the amount drops to 40 percent. On the third day to 30 percent; the fourth day it raises to 35 percent; the fifth day to 70 percent; the sixth day to 95 percent; the seventh day to 105 percent; the eighth to 110 percent; and on the ninth day, the amount of prothrombin in the baby's blood drops back to normal. Thus, we see that there is no day that is more suited for an operation than on the eighth day of a person's life.[2] Today, doctors often give shots of vitamin “K” when they plan to operate before the eighth day.

We may have answered the question, “Why did God demand the eighth day?” but in the process we have raised another question. “How did Moses know that the eighth day was the best day for an operation?” We might conclude that he was just lucky and made a good guess, or we might take this as a piece of evidence to place in the “Yes” cup, to show that there is a God in heaven and the Bible is His word.

OIL IN EGYPT: Exodus 2:3, "But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it...."

 Your author was told that in the late 1960's, the Reader's Digest had an interesting story about a former president of the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey. It seems that he read this passage from Exodus 2:3 and determined to find out if there really was tar and pitch near the Nile River. This verse leads to the discovery of one of the largest oil fields in the world.

NONE OF THESE DISEASES: Exodus 15:26, "And said, ‘If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in his sight, give ear to his commandments, and keep all His statutes, I WILL PUT NONE OF THESE DISEASES ON YOU, which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.’" (KJV)

Wow! What a promise! Just think, if the Jews, or even you and I today, keep God's commandments we will be rewarded with better health. Years ago Doctor S.I. McMillen wrote a book in which he listed disease after disease that we would not have if we kept the commands of God. In Moses' day, Egypt was the leader in medical science. Moses was born about 1571 B.C.[3] Approximately 20 years later, in 1552 B.C., a medical document called "The Papyrus Ebers," was written. This document contained several hundred remedies for sickness, such as applying worm's blood to remove splinters. Other medicines were moisture from pig's ears, rotten meat, and wastes from animals and humans. Though Moses lived in Egypt and was taught by the best teachers in the world for the next 29 years, he did not incorporate any of these Egyptian remedies in his writing. The absence of these unscientific medical treatments in Moses' writings is astonishing since he lived among the best educated of Egypt for forty years.[4]

Moses wrote the first three hundred and fifty-five pages of our Bible. Why did he not incorporate at lest some of the Egyptian's ideas about medical treatment? Maybe he was just lucky, or maybe there was an all-knowing God who directed him as he wrote. This is another piece of evidence to add to the “Yes” cup to show there is a God in heaven and that the Bible is His word.

Not only did Moses leave out remedies that do not work, but wherever he addressed the subject of medical treatment, he always taught his people to practice things that can be proven to be medically sound. Let us now notice some of these medical treatments that do work.

In 1954, a study was conducted in a Boston hospital with 86,214 women participating. It was learned that cancer of the cervix in non-Jewish women was 8.5 times more frequent than in Jewish women. Not because of scientific genius, but because of the raw statistics it was found that cervical cancer in women is often caused by uncircumcised men.[5] Literally thousands of women's lives would be saved if their husbands would follow the medically sound commandments of God.

Doctor McMillen states in his book that, "In all history, there have only been four cases reported of cancer of the penis among circumcised males."[6] Now we have the answer to, “Why would a loving God demand that baby boys be circumcised?” This leads us to the familiar question, how did Moses know that this was a medically sound treatment? Again, it may have been a lucky guess, but it also could be strong evidence to place in the cup to show that an all-knowing God in heaven directed Moses in the writing of His book.

QUARANTINE: Leviticus 13:46, "As long as he has the infection he remains unclean. He must live alone; he must live outside the camp.”

In the fourteenth century, the second greatest disaster ever recorded in history took place. The disaster was known as the Black or Bubonic Plague. This plague took the lives of sixty million people in Europe. One out of every four people died. The medical doctors were helpless until the leaders of the church took over and followed the teaching of Leviticus 13:46. As a result of the practice of quarantine, the plague was brought under control.[7]

Again, how did Moses know that quarantine was a sound medical practice? Was he lucky or is this another piece of evidence to show that an all-knowing God directed the writing of His book? Let's place another piece of evidence into the “Yes” cup.

LIFE IS IN THE BLOOD: Leviticus 17:11, "For the life of the creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make an atonement...."

For many years it was believed that blood was the cause of our medical problems. Barbers at one time made their living from both "letting blood" and cutting hair. This is the reason the red stripe is on the barber pole today.[8] George Washington died from blood letting.[9] In 1615 A.D., William Harvey discovered that life is actually in the blood[10] and today, instead of draining blood from the sick, blood transfusions are given to help them recover.

How did Moses know? I think another piece of evidence should go into the “Yes” cup.

SANITATION : Deuteronomy 23:12, 13, "Designate a place outside the camp where you can go to relieve yourself. As part of your equipment have something to dig with, and when you relieve yourself, dig a hole and cover up your excrement."

Up to the close of the eighteenth century, human waste was dumped in the streets of all major cities. Epidemics of typhoid, cholera, and dysentery took millions of lives. Simple sanitation would have saved many from premature deaths.[11]

How did Moses know the value of sanitation? How did he know that if people would follow his teaching that they would not have any of the diseases that plagued the Egyptians? Yes, Moses might have gotten lucky and again made a good guess, but I think this is plain evidence that there is an all-knowing God and the Bible is His word. Another piece goes into the “Yes” cup.

EMPTY PLACE IN THE NORTH: Job 26:7 "He spreads out the northern skies over empty space; he suspends the earth over nothing."

Not until 1918[12] did scientists have telescopes that were powerful enough to prove this statement to be true. With the mighty telescopes that we have today, so many stars become visible that in some areas of the heavens the sky resembles a basket of ping pong balls. At one spot in the North, however, astronomers have discovered that there is a black hole. There areno stars to be seen.[13]

EARTH IS HELD UP BY NOTHING. Job 26:7, "...He suspends the earth over nothing."

For thousands of years scientists believed that physical braces held up the earth. If my memory serves me correct, in India it was believed that the earth rested on the back of a large turtle. In Africa, it was believed that the earth rested on the back of an elephant. In Asia, it was believed that Atlas held the earth on his shoulder.[14] Scientists finally discovered the truth in 1650 A.D.,[15] even though Job had recorded this truth thousands of years earlier in what may be the oldest book in the Bible.

How did Job know that there was an empty place in the North and that the earth was held up by nothing?  Two more pieces of evidence goes into the “Yes” cup.

STARS SING: Job 38:7, "...the morning stars sang together...."

In about 1945, the radio telescope was invented. The radio telescope sends radio waves into

space and the waves bounce off the stars and return to the receiver. By this method it can be determined how far away the stars are from the earth. Soon after this telescope was put into action, it was observed that rhythmic sounds were coming from the stars, just as though they were singing together.[16]

OCEANS HAVE SPRINGS: Job 38:16, "Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea?"

This question was asked of Job by God. The question obviously is not talking about the springs on land that feed the sea, for this would be of no challenge to Job. In this question God hints that there are springs under the sea. Recent sea expeditions have shown that there are an abundance of sweet water springs on the floor of the salt water oceans.[17]

TREASURE IN SNOW: Job 38:22, "Have you entered the treasury of snow?" (NKJV)

Doctor Frank Stutt of the Department of Agriculture said that snow collects from the atmosphere certain chemicals which are valuable to the soil. And he estimated the value of a good winter's snow to be at about fifteen dollars per acre per year. The announcement Doctor Stutt made was recorded in a book that was copyrighted in 1939.[18] Considering inflation, imagine how valuable snow is today, and place another piece of evidence in the “Yes” cup.

THE PATHS OF THE SEA: Psalms 8:8, "...the fish...that swim the paths of the seas." In 1854,[19] Matthew Fontain Murray was riding on a boat and his son was reading to him from the book of Psalms. When Psalms 8:8 was read, Matthew said, "Read that again." Then he said, "If the Bible says there are paths in the sea, I'll find them." Today he is known as the Father of Oceanography. He is called, "The Pathfinder of the Sea" and a large monument to his achievement has been erected in Richmond, Virginia.[20]

How did David know that the seas have paths? Do not forget to add this piece of evidence to the “Yes” cup.

WATER CYCLE: Ecclesiastics 1:7, "All the streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again."

For thousands of years it was believed that the gods literally dumped water on the earth when it rained. In 350 B.C., Aristotle became the first to mention a water cycle. This was six hundred years after Solomon recorded Ecclesiastics 1:7. In 1770 A.D., Benjamin Franklin became the first person to publish a detailed explanation of the rain cycle.[21]

THE EARTH IS ROUND: Isaiah 40:22, "He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth...."

It was believed that the earth was flat up until the 1400's,[22] even though Isaiah said it was a circle and Jesus said that day and night come about simultaneously (Luke 17:31,34). The Bible is right and we have more evidence for the “Yes” cup.

LIGHTENING IS MADE BY RAIN: Jeremiah 10:13, "...he maketh lightenings with rain...." (KJV)

In 1785, scientists learned that condensing water produces static electricity. It was previously thought that the Greek gods threw thunder bolts at the earth.[23]

ALL PEOPLE HAVE THE SAME BLOOD: Acts 17:26, "And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth...." (NKJV)

Though it is true that people have various types of blood, still all men have the same kind of blood but animal blood is different from human blood. An American could receive blood from a Russian, a Chinese, or a South Sea Islander. But no human can receive a blood transfusion from an animal.[24] Paul's statement is true and was recorded eighteen hundred years before the scientific discovery was made.

How did Paul know that all human beings have the same kind of blood? Again, he may have taken a lucky guess or it might be that there is an all-knowing God in heaven that directed Paul and the other writers to record truths that had not yet been discovered by man. I believe that this is a piece of evidence to add to the “Yes” cup.

To this point there is not one shred of evidence to place in the “No” cup. The “Yes” cup has tilted all the way and proves that there is a God in heaven and that the Bible is His word.

SUMMARY: In this chapter we reviewed the process of gaining knowledge. We found that knowledge comes from gathering and weighing evidence. We then gathered the evidence and learned that the following facts were recorded in the Bible years before they had been scientifically discovered.

·        Both male and female posses the seed of life.

·        Operations are safest on the eighth day of an infant's life.

·        There is petroleum in Egypt.

·        Moses recorded no unsound medical treatments.

·        Biblical circumcision is medically valuable.

·        The practice of Biblical quarantine can save lives.

·        Life is in the blood.

·        Biblical sanitation will suppress the spread of disease.

·        There is an empty place in the northern sky.

·        The earth is held up by nothing.

·        Stars sing.

·        The oceans have springs.

·        There is value in snow.

·        The oceans have paths.

·        There is a water cycle.

·        The earth is round.

·        Lightning is made by rain.

·        All people have the same blood.

These pieces of evidence and thousands of other pieces like them should be weighed carefully. How could these writers have known these facts, sometimes thousands of years before they were discovered by scientists, unless there is an all-knowing God in heaven who directed these writers as they wrote His book?

The honest person should now be compelled to say, "I know there is a God in heaven, and the Bible is His word, for the evidence is overwhelming." Based upon this knowledge, let us place our trust in Him and commit ourselves to the obedience of God's will.

We Can Know . . .

  1. We can Know God made America Great!

2. We can know that evil people and evil nations will be punished if they don't repent.

 3. Faith and Knowledge

  4. The Bible claims there is a God, He created the Heaven and the earth, the Bible is His word, and that the earth is less than 10,000 years old. We can know the Earth is less than 10,000 years old!

  5. We can Know the gap theory and the million years per day theory are unfounded.

  6. We can know scientific evidence proves God's existence.

  7. We can know prophetic evidence proves God's existence.

  8. We can know why a young earth looks so old.

  9. We can know the answers to flood questions such as: Where could all the water necessary to flood the whole earth come from; where could it go; how could a boat be built large enough to hold all the animals; how could the animals get from one continent to another?

 10. We can know what it was like before the Genesis flood.

  11. We can Know why many methods to date the earth are unreliable.

 12. We can know our Bible is accurate.

  13. Final summery and conclusion.

 14. Common questions such as:

• Which came first the chicken or the egg?

• Was sex the forbidden fruit? Was prostitution the first profession?

• Were did Cain get his wife?

• Could God have created other people beside Adam and Eve?

•  Does "replenish the earth" mean there were people on the earth before Adam?

• Where do cave men fit into the Bible picture?

• Is there life on other planets?

• Where does the Ice Age fit into the Bible picture?

• Why do good people suffer?