Origin of the Universe

How did our universe come into being, and how long has it been here?

“The day is Yours, the night is also Yours; You have prepared the light and the sun.” - Psalm 74:16

Science deals with the observable present. What happened in the past is not something we can test scientifically. So, we have to take what we know and work backward to the birth of the universe—at the instant of creation—to understand what happened in the beginning.

Important Background Knowledge

The Law of Increasing Entropy: everything is in gradual decay; energy tends to go from a useful form to a useless form.

The Law of Cause and Effect: everything with a beginning had a cause.

Sir Isaac Newton: his ideas were the beginning of modern physics.

Potential Energy: energy waiting to be used.

Kinetic Energy: energy in motion.

First Law of Thermodynamics: energy cannot be created or destroyed, but can be converted to another form.

George LeMaitre: Catholic priest who theorized that everything started from the explosion of a “primeval atom”.

Edwin Hubble: American scientist who observed that galaxies seemed to be moving away from each other.

Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation (CMB): radiation that Big Bang theorists believe is left over from a time around 400,000 years after the Big Bang.

Big Bang: theory that the universe came into existence over 13 billion years ago with a massive explosion.

Planck Satellite: launched by NASA in 2009 to study microwave background radiation.

Blue Stars: burn so brightly that they should have burned out long ago if the universe is actually billions of years old.

Spiral Galaxies: these would be so twisted we couldn’t recognize them if they were really billions of years old.

Cosmic Inflation: idea that when the universe was supposedly expanding it sped up and then slowed down—used to explain problems secularists are finding with the CMB.

Think Tank

Why is it important to understand that the past is something that cannot be observed by science?

Empirical science has to do only with the observable present. What happened in the past is not something we can test directly. This means that we have to take what we know in the present and work backward to understand our origins. At some level, faith is required, and all we can do is take the evidence we have and try to come to the best conclusion.

Why do you think we have certain laws of physics that cannot be altered? What would science be like without them?

The laws of physics demonstrate the order and precision of creation, and God gave them to us so we could understand our world and His nature. Science would be disorderly and illogical without them.

Summarize the Big Bang theory:

The Big Bang theory says that the entire universe began as a point, a singularity, which rapidly expanded and caused everything we see today.

Why were secular scientists so excited in the 1960s when they detected microwave radiation coming from all directions in space? Explain the problems new research is finding with viewing this Cosmic Microwave Background radiation (CMB) as “proof” of the Big Bang.

Secular scientists thought the microwave radiation was leftover from the Big Bang. The Big Bang theory predicts that there would be hot and cold spots in the universe, showing variations in the CMB temperature. However, new research has shown that the CMB temperature is much more uniform than scientists predicted. These variations also contradict Big Bang predictions by suggesting a special direction in space.

What are some simple examples of how the laws of physics describe the order and precision that exist in our world—the opposite of the chaos that you would expect from an explosion?

The laws of physics show that order does not come from chaos. Gravity holds the sun’s hydrogen together. A block of wood falling on a table transitions from potential to kinetic energy and shows the First Law of Thermodynamics: energy cannot be created or destroyed, only converted. These laws are consistent and predictable.

How does the Second Law of Thermodynamics (the Law of Increasing Entropy) pose a powerful argument against the Big Bang?

The Second Law of Thermodynamics shows a universal tendency for things to go toward a state of equilibrium (same temperature everywhere) in which no energy is available to do work. But the Big Bang is supposed to have started in such a state. How then could we possibly have non-equilibrium conditions today? How do we have usable energy today if the universe started in such a state?

Back to the Bible

Read Genesis 1; 8:22; Psalm 74:16; Isaiah 40:26; James 1:17.

List everything you observe in these verses that shows us how the universe holds together and how it operates.

Genesis 1 tells us that the universe was created by the spoken words of God. Genesis 8:22 shows us that God intended creation to be orderly and regular, not chaotic. Psalm 74:16 shows us that God not only created the universe but that He also holds authority over it. Isaiah 40:26 tells us God commands and preserves the heavenly hosts.

On which creation day did God create space, time, matter, and energy?

The first day of creation.

What does the First Law of Thermodynamics tell us about the original energy that God put into the universe?

The First Law of Thermodynamics states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, simply converted. The amount of original energy created by God is the same today as in the beginning and had to be instilled in the universe by an outside force.

How do Genesis 8:22 and Isaiah 40:26 support the Law of Conservation of Mass and Energy (the First Law of Thermodynamics)?

The First Law of Thermodynamics states that energy can be transferred from one form to another, but not created or destroyed. These verses support this by saying that God’s creation will endure because He is upholding it by His power.

What doe the Law of Entropy show us about whether the universe could be eternally old?

The universe can’t be eternally old because all the energy in it would have been degraded into a totally useless form by now.

If the universe is not eternal, it had to have a beginning. As we know from simple logic, every beginning requires what? What “law” applies here?

We know from simple logic that every beginning requires a cause. The law that applies to this is called The Law of Cause and Effect.

What does it mean that God has “no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:17)? How can this statement apply to our universe…and our everyday lives?

God is not changeful or unstable. WE can know that the universe and laws of physics are under His control. We can trust God to be constant and trustworthy, and this applies to the promises He has made regarding our lives and salvation.

Takeaways

• Our universe has order—not chaos—because it was designed with order and purpose by the Creator God who does not change, who is always consistent.

• The laws of physics and mathematics reflect the order and purpose God instilled in His creation.

• Even though we were not there at the beginning to observe the creation of the universe, scientific evidence indicates the Earth is young and that every detail of our universe was planned—it was not an accident.

Next Week: Uniqueness of Earth

Rise of Civilization

There are over seven billion of us on this planet, living in 200 nations, speaking 6,000 languages. What does the Bible say about human origins and how all of this diversity came about?

“Now the sons of Noah who went out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth…and from these the whole earth was populated.” - Genesis 9:18-19

The Bible says we are each descended from Noah and his three sons. But is that really possible—seven billion humans descending from the family of one man? Think of all the people who have lived and died, all the countries, all the cultures, and all the civilizations that have existed. Did these really come from a single family? Secular and creation scientists offer different answers about our origins and our development. How did humans come to spread across the planet, speaking different languages and living different lives?

Answers From Archaeology

1. In the mid-1800s, expeditions by John G. Taylor near the Iraqi city of Baghdad excavated the famous Ziggurat of Ur. Among the ruins, Taylor found cuneiform cylinders that identified the site by its biblical name “Ur of the Chaldeans”—the birthplace of Abraham. Until that time, Ur had been considered a mythical city, but now there is no denying that the historical evidence confirmed what was written in the Bible.

2. Another groundbreaking discovery happened in 1974 when an Italian archaeologist uncovered the Tablets of Ebla in Tell Mardikh, an ancient city in modern Syria. These clay tablets were covered with writings in ancient Sumerian, as well as in a local language of Ebla. There were 1,800 complete tablets and about 4,700 fragments determined to date from between 2500 and 2250 B.C. The tablets likewise make reference to people and places we find in the Bible, like Sodom and Gomorrah.

3. Many cultures found in the Bible have been verified by archaeologists within the last 150 years. Nineveh and Babylon have also been located and excavated. Cities like Damascus, Jerusalem, and Jericho have thrived continuously for over 4,000 years.

Think Tank

1. Who was the first person to apply evolution to people, and how did he do this? After Darwin presented his evolutionary theory, Thomas Huxley applied it to people by writing a book that showed what he thought were the similarities between humans and apes.

2. How does the secular perspective explain the details of human evolution? Secular scientists believe that humans and chimps share a common ancestor. In this scenario, roughly eight million years ago in Africa, humans began to evolve and diverge from their apelike ancestors. Over six million years ago, humans began to walk upright, use tools, migrate out of Africa, and develop language. Within the past 100,000 years or so, those advanced apes became modern humans.

3. How do secular scientists describe the male and female progeniters of the human race? How is this different from the Bible’s account of Adam and Eve? The secular scientists call them mitochondrial Eve and Y-chromosome Adam. These supposed progenitors of the human race were part of a larger population rather than two specific individuals. This is different from the Bible’s account that says the progenitors of the human race (the real Adam and Eve) were the only ones of their kind.

4. Secularists claim humans and apes have common ancestors from Africa. How do they explain humans spreading across the continents and forming different races? They say that ancient humans migrated around the globe, in part due to changes in climate and food supply. As humans dispersed, different races began to appear as we became more genetically diverse—for example, darker coloration in warmer climates and lighter coloration in the north.

5. What, supposedly, was the “Great Leap Forward”? The secular “Great Leap Forward” was the supposed development of symbolic and written language some 40,000 to 50,000 years ago.

6. List some evidence that has been found supporting the Bible as an accurate historical record. What does this indicate about how we should interpret human origins theories? Many evidences of places mentioned in the Bible have been found and excavated, such as the famous Ziggurat of Ur, the Tablets Ebla (which mention Sodom and Gomorrah), Nineveh, and Babylon. These discoveries support the Bible’s history as an accurate record.

7. How do biblical creationists explain the origin of different languages and the reason why humans spread across the continents? God’s confusion of speech at the Tower of Babel led to the different languages. God then scattered humanity abroad over the earth.

8. How do biblical creationists explain the physical diversity in humans? Variation was created in humans from the beginning. The founder principle in genetics suggests that the segregation of mankind into small, inbreeding family units would have rapidly generated distinctive physical characteristics associated with each tribe. The genetic and geographic isolation would also lead to each tribe developing its own culture, tools, and way of life.

9. Where does the emphasis on differences within the human race come from? How has this become a negative thing in our world today? The emphasis on differences comes from man, not the Bible. The theory of evolution leads dangerously to the idea that some races are more advanced than others.

Back to the Bible

Read Genesis 9:18-19; 10:5,32; 11:1-9; Psalm 139:14; Acts 17:26.

What does the Bible say about man’s origin and God’s role in our lives here on Earth? Acts 17:26 says God made us all from one blood and determined our times and geographic locations. He is involved and has a plan.

What was the ultimate cause of the events at the Tower of Babel? The ultimate cause was man’s arrogance.

From whom does the Bible say everyone descended? What facts outside of the Bible can give us confidence to believe this? What results do we find when we use a realistic growth rate and trace the population growth from Noah up through today? The Bible says we all descended from Noah’s sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth. In many people groups, we find oral traditions and written memories of pre-Babel events—evidence that all of humanity shared those experiences and were subsequently scattered. Beginning with Noah’s sons, if you use a modest growth rate, then you can arrive at a number that is even greater than today’s population. It’s realistic that all humanity came from Noah’s family.

Have you experienced or seen others experience judgment or negative treatment because of their physical appearance or their culture—how they live? Based on what you know the Bible says about our Creator, our origins, and our worth, how should you view that kind of prejudice? We should view that kind of prejudice as sinful because God has made everyone in His image with great worth and value (Psalm 139:14).

Fun Facts

The people scattering from Babel probably represented about 70 language groups, based on the Table of Nations in Genesis 10. Today, secular linguists have identified about 70 major language groups around the world, just as recorded in the Bible.

As for the Tower of Babel—it’s not just referenced in the Bible. The ancient Greek historian Herodotus wrote about it in 440 B.C.

Takeaways

Understanding the scientific evidence that supports the biblical account builds confidence in our faith. God saved Noah and also scattered people across the earth because He has a plan for mankind. God has a plan for all of us—and in it all, He has given us ultimate worth by creating us in His image and sending His Son to die so that we can obtain salvation.

Next Week: Origin of the Universe

The Ice Age

Most scientists agree that an ice age was the last major geologic event to happen on this planet. But differences of opinion exist on the number of ice ages, when they happened, and how long they lasted.

“So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.” - Genesis 9:1

Most of us have been taught there were many ice ages that profoundly influenced the earth’s climate, caused mass extinctions, and even altered the way civilization developed. But when it happened and why it happened remain points of conflict among scientists. Evidence of at least one ice age is abundant. But, were there more? Did they last hundreds, thousands, or even millions of years? What caused them, and how does this relate to Noah’s Flood?

Unpacking the Layers: Important Terms

1. Aerosols: tiny, solid particles in liquid droplets that are ejected into the sky by volcanic eruptions and reflect the sun’s rays back into space

2. Debris: disconnected pieces of rock

3. Glacial moraine: debris field with boulders, rocks, and dirt that indicates the path the glacier left behind as it moved

4. Glacier: massive body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight

5. Ice Age: a time after the Flood when some areas in which people live today were covered by giant sheets of ice

6. Ice cores: samples scientists get by drilling deep into polar and glacier ice so they can analyze its chemicals and layers

7. Ice crystal: a regular arrangement of frozen water molecules

8. Ice sheet: flat-topped ice body with very broad coverage, also known as a “continental glacier”

9. Iceberg: floating glacier

10. Mt. Pinatubo: erupted in 1991 and released a huge amount of aerosols, supporting the theory that the volcanic activity during Noah’s Flood could have caused the Ice Age

Think Tank

1. What evidence do we have for an ice age? The biggest evidence we have for at least one ice age is the presence of glacial moraines.

2. Compare the uniformitarian and creationist views:

   1. How many ice ages were there? U’s say there were at least 5 major and as many as 50 smaller ice ages. C’s say there was only one.

   2. How long did the Ice Age(s) last? U’s say that each ice age may have lasted tens of millions of years. C’s say the Ice Age lasted only hundreds of years.

   3. How many years ago did the Ice Age(s) happen? U’s say that the last ice age began about 2.6 million years ago. C’s say the one and only Ice Age began about 4,300 years ago.

3. What do scientists study to arrive at their theories about the Ice Age? Glaciers, ice cores, glacial moraines, and fossils, among other things.

4. What are some of the problems with how uniformitarians measure the age of ice—specifically involving ice cores? They measure the ice cores based on the assumption that each layer of ice represents one year. However, the layers become more indistinct farther down. The flow models that are supposed to account for this are created with the assumption that the ice cores are millions of years old, so their results are not reliable.

5. Do colder winters create an ice age? Why or why not? No, because cold temperatures generally result in less, not more, snowfall.

6. What does it really take to cause an ice age? The first thing needed is (1) Hot oceans which cause (2) Evaporation. More moisture in the air means more precipitation, including more snowfall at mid and high latitudes. (3) Aerosols are also needed, which are released into the air by volcanic activity. The aerosols block the sun, and the result is cooler summers when the winter snow doesn’t melt followed by winters when when more snow falls. (4) Time. Lastly, an ice age needs a short time to concentrate heat and aerosols.

7. What evidence indicates Noah’s Flood might have caused the Ice Age? What modern-day catastrophes support this idea? The Flood would have caused massive storms, volcanism, earthquakes, and tectonic activity, heating up the oceans and causing the HEAT model to take effect. Modern-day examples are the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo on Luzon island in 1991 and the creation of Crater Glacier on Mount St. Helens just since 1980. Crater Glacier is already over 300 feet thick, even though it’s only been forming since the 1980 eruption.

8. What does the creation model say about how humans survived the Ice Age? The Ice Age would not have been equally severe everywhere. In fact, there were probably many temperate areas in which humans could have lived. At lower latitudes, you have had some areas that would have been very lush.

Back to the Bible

Read Genesis 8:21; 9:1; 9:13,8-17.

What did God promise after the Flood? He promised that He would never again “curse the ground for man’s sake” or destroy every living thing as He had done (Genesis 8:21) and that He would never again destroy the earth with a flood (Genesis 9:11).

What sign did He give, and what does it represent? He gave the sign of a rainbow, and it represents His covenant that He would never send a flood again to destroy all flesh.

How does the theory of land bridges forming after the Flood fit in with the command God gave Noah and his sons after the Flood? Land bridges would have aided humans in fulfilling God’s command to “fill the earth” (Genesis 9:1).

Based on these post-Flood events, what can we know about God? How should this affect our view of who He is? We can know that God keeps His promises, and this should increase our faith in His word and covenants. He makes provisions for man to fulfill His commands and is trustworthy and good all the time.

Takeaways

Strong evidence indicates that Noah’s Flood created conditions that caused the Ice Age.

The concept that the Ice Age may not have been as unbearable as we’ve been told supports the fact that God chose Noah and his family to repopulate the earth.

By letting Noah and his family live to repopulate the earth and promising to never again destroy the earth with a flood, God showed grace to mankind and gave humanity a second chance.

Next Week: Rise of Civilization

Dinosaurs

Where do dinosaurs fit into a Christian view of the world?

“Look now at the behemoth, which I made along with you.” - Job 40:15

Secular scientists tell us dinosaurs went extinct 66 million years ago, but how does that fit with the history of Adam and Eve and what we are learning about the age of the earth? Did dinosaurs really live and die before man existed? Or could they have walked the earth at the same time as humans?

Disappearing Dinos: A History Mystery

• We’re told that the Age of the Dinosaurs, part of the Mesozoic Era, began about 225 million years ago—supposedly long before man—and ended in mass extinction supposedly around 66 million years ago.

• According to Genesis, God created the earth and man and all the living creatures in the six days of creation. Creating wonderfully designed dinosaurs would have been no problem for an all-knowing, all-powerful God.

Easy Way To Remember Key Facts About Dinosaurs—the Five Cs:

1. Created. Dinosaur pelvic structure is more consistent with design than with a slow evolution. There’s definite evidence of divine creation in the way those bones fit together.

2. Catastrophe. Everyone agrees that the dinosaurs we find in the rock strata were killed off suddenly by some great and catastrophic event. And we find dinosaurs in layer upon layer of rocks deposited by water on every continent. Secular scientists believe these layers and the fossils found in them were caused by local floods and other small catastrophes with millions of years in between. But could it have been a year-long, world-wide flood?

3. Carbon. Carbon-dating only works when there is organic matter present and when the samples are less than 100,000 years old.

4. Collagen. That’s soft tissue, but remember that fossils are supposed to be rocks. There shouldn’t be any organic material in them. But in 2004, Dr. Mary Schweitzer found soft tissue in a tyrannosaur thighbone that had been thought to be about 70 million years old.

5. Clashes. Did humans have contact with dinosaurs? People have been writing about them for as long as humans have been writing. We find these fantastic creatures in legends from cultures around the world. Maybe people have actually encountered dinosaurs—that’s why these stories are so similar, no matter where you go.

Think Tank

1. What different ideas do secular and creation scientists have about when dinosaurs lived? Secular scientists believe that dinosaurs lived before man millions of years ago, but creation scientists believe they lived at the same time as man and went extinct only a few thousand years ago.

2. What’s the most popular theory about dinosaur extinction? The most popular theory is that an asteroid hit Earth and changed the climate and food supply, leading to the extinction of the dinosaurs.

3. During fossilization, what happens to a dead organism after its soft tissues rot away? Why is it so important for a paleontologists to spot a fossil and retrieve it quickly once it is exposed? Minerals begin to seep into its bones, changing their chemical composition. Once a fossil is exposed on Earth’s surface, it starts to weather and must be retrieved before it disappears.

4. What aspects of dinosaur anatomy and fossil evidence suggest that dinosaurs were created as an entirely different type of reptile—not as ancestors of modern reptiles? Dinosaurs and modern reptiles have different leg placements. Modern reptiles have legs that extend out to the side, which causes them to crawl. Many dinosaurs were much heavier, so their legs went straight down underneath them to support their weight.

5. What evidence indicates that the deposits in the Morrison Formation resulted from a catastrophe? The Morrison Formation, where Dinosaur National Monument is located, shows evidence of a catastrophe. (1) It is extensive—more so than we would expect from slow, gradual processes. (2) The formation is full of volcanic debris. (3) The formation contains fossils of both land and sea creatures mixed together.

6. What newer evidence has raised serious questions about the real ages of fossils? Evidence of soft tissue in dinosaur fossils has challenged the assumption that they are millions of years old.

7. Do you think dinosaurs lived at the same time as humans? Why or why not? The Bible says that animals and people were created at the same time, so we shouldn’t be surprised when we find evidence that supports this.

8. What is the strongest evidence you can give from science and the Bible to explain the creation perspective on dinosaur’s history to someone who have never heard it before? The Bible tells us that God created all animals within the same week that He created humans, and the book of Job even seems to describe a dinosaur. Soft tissue fossils support the idea that dinosaurs lived at the same time as humans, and dragon legends across the world suggest that eyewitnesses actually saw dinosaurs.

Back To The Bible

Read Job 40:15-17; Romans 5:12; 2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:4.

1. What does Job 40 indicate about when dinosaurs lived? It indicates that dinosaurs lived at the same time as humans.

2. What comparisons can you find between the Job 40 behemoth and dinosaurs? The behemoth’s strength is in his hips, his power is in his stomach muscles, he moves his tail like a cedar, and the sinews of his thighs are tightly knit. We know that dinosaurs had very strong legs to support the weight of their body directly above. Some had giant, long tails. Because the behemoth’s tail is compared to a tree, this description would fit one of the larger dinosaurs.

3. What does Romans 5:12 tell us about the origin of death, and how does this connect to ideas about what caused the dinosaurs’ extinction? This verse makes it clear that death was the result of Adam and Eve’s sin, so it was not present in creation before man. Explanations that say dinosaurs went extinct millions of years ago when an asteroid hit Earth suggest that death existed before man and do not fit the biblical timeline.

4. What hope do Christians have as death and extinction continue and our world continues to change? Revelation 21:4 tells us that we can look forward to a place where death is no more. This world of decay is passing, but Christians have hope of a world without pain and sorrow in eternity.

5. What will the new heavens and the new earth be like? It will be a place where “righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13).

Takeaways

The same evidence—dinosaurs, fossils, soft tissue, and bone cells—analyzed and tested with the same scientific rigor yields different interpretations based on the worldview of the person interpreting the data. Yet, the scientific evidence conforms to the Bible.

The Bible, God’s word, gives us insight into the creation of dinosaurs, their burial in a worldwide flood, and their contact with humans after the Flood.

Next Week: The Ice Age

How Old Is Earth?

We can answer the question “How old is Earth?” by turning to science and the Bible. In both cases, faith plays a part.

“For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day.” - Exodus 20:11

When we ask how old Earth is, we’re really asking a history question. What is our planet’s history? How long has it been here? How was it formed? Unfortunately, no human being was around to see it happen. The best we can do is look at clues, test them with modern science and technology, and draw conclusions based on the results. What does Genesis say about Earth’s age, and how do scientists estimate it?

Age of Mystery?

• The age of Earth is a fundamental question. All scientists work with the same data or “evidence”: the same chemical, biological, and physical clues. The key is how researchers interpret the information they get.

• All scientists start with certain assumptions about the past and then use faith in those assumptions, together with geology, physics, and chemistry, to make certain calculations about Earth’s age, or, more specifically, its rocks. This is called geochronology. There are several different ways to do this, and we sometimes get different results.

• The clocks that many scientists use to estimate the age of rocks have things in common. They all assume, by faith, a constant process rate, like the sand falling in an hourglass. We assume the sand will always fall at a constant rate. Next, scientists need to have what’s called a closed process system, like the hourglass; nothing can get in there and interfere with the measurements.

• And finally, scientists have to begin with a known initial process component, again, like the sand. When we use an hourglass, we know how much sand we started with, so we know how much time has passed as it falls.

• The secular dates for rocks like the ones in Grand Canyon depend on one thing: uniformitarianism. Has everything always happened at a uniform rate? Like the sand falling in an hourglass, have processes always happened at a constant speed? Or have they sometimes gone very fast?

• Because of the Mount St. Helen’s eruption in 1980, we know that sediment layers can form really fast. We know that carbon-14 is often found in fossils that secular scientists have dated as being millions of years old—it should be long gone by now. This implies that the fossils (and the sediment-bearing rocks they are found in) aren’t millions of years old but only thousands. We also know that radioactive elements like uranium have not always decayed at the same rate.

• If geologic processes haven’t been constant, then that’s a huge problem for the uniformitarian outlook. If the rate of change in the earth wasn’t constant and if strata didn’t form slowly over millions of years, then the assumptions scientists have been using to estimate our planet’s age aren’t reliable. Earth could really be much younger than secular scientists say.

Think Tank

All scientists look at chemical, biological, and physical clues to evaluate the age of Earth.

“Clock” scientists use the finally three assumptions when dating the Earth: (1) a constant process rate, (2) a closed process system, (3) a known initial process component.

What is one assumption secular scientists make about the decay rate of uranium to end up with ages of millions of years for Grand Canyon? They assume that the decay rate of uranium has always been the same.

What problems do fossils containing carbon-14, soft tissue, and DNA create for secular dating? There should be no detectable carbon-14 in fossils that are older than 100,000 years. And there should not be soft tissue or DNA in fossils dated at millions of years, but we still find it. Soft tissue and DNA can’t survive for long periods of time. This suggests that those fossils were formed only thousands of years ago, not millions. Finds like these indicate Earth’s layers might have been laid down quickly and recently by Noah’s Flood.

What are the two main views about how Grand Canyon formed? Catastrophism, which says that it was formed fast by the watery catastrophe of Noah’s Flood, and uniformitarianism, which says that it was carved gradually by the Colorado River over millions of years.

What specific Grand Canyon feature supports the reality of Noah’s Flood? The Tapeats Sandstone occurs across North America and contains huge boulders that could only have been moved and deposited by a force like the Global Flood.

What do you think is the most compelling evidence that you could present to support that the Earth and its rock layers did not form over long ages?

Why does the age of the Earth matter for us today? If the Bible is wrong or misleading in its opening chapters, then where else is it wrong?

Further Extraordinary Evidence

All Measurement “Clocks” Depend on Unprovable Assumptions

Many Strata Are Too Tightly Bent

Diamonds Have Too Much Carbon-14

The Sea Does Not Have Enough Minerals: Every year, more salt enters the ocean from rivers and accumulates. At present rates, seawater is not as salty as it should be if the oceans were ancient. Looking at the present rate the salt content is increasing per year, the current 3.5% salinity of seawater is much too low if this process has been going on for a very long time.

Back to the Bible

Read Genesis 1:4-5; Exodus 20:11; Exodus 31:16-17; 1 Corinthians 14:33.

What details do you observe about the description of creation and what makes a day a “day”? Day is connected to light. The evening and the morning make one day. God created in six days and rested on the seventh.

What clues indicate that the Bible is actually talking about 24-hour days? The Bible tells us there was an “evening” and “morning” that made up each of the days. Exodus 20:11 and Exodus 31:17 also say that the creation work took six days.

Why is an understanding of how a day is defined so important to how we read Genesis? If we cannot trust God’s definition of a day in the opening chapter of His word, then how can we trust anything else the Bible says?

Taking an exhaustive analytical Bible concordance, look up the Hebrew word yom and cross-check it with the word “day.” How many times is yom translated as “day” in the Bible? 1,167 times (the plural form is spelled yamim) In the book of Genesis? 127 times How many times is it used in Genesis to refer to the creation account? 16 times Can you find any use in Genesis of the word “day” (as a translation of yom) where it does not make sense if it is interpreted as a literal 24-hour day? No.

This was based on Young’s Analytical Concordance to the Bible.

What does 1 Corinthians 14:33 tell us about God? How does this apply to His work of creation and our understanding of origins? It tell us that God is logical and orderly and does not work in a way that would cause confusion. Because of this, we can trust that the Genesis account is accurate. God told us how He made the universe in plain words that are clear and understandable.

Takeaway

Scientific evidence supports the Bible and suggests that Earth’s age can be accurately counted in thousands, not millions, of years.

Flood or Fiction?

Noah’s Ark is one of the first Bible stories you may have learned, but it’s more than just a story. Today’s scientific evidence supports the truth of the Flood as a very real event that permanently changed the geology and climate of planet Earth.

“By the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water.” - 2 Peter 3:5-6

Bible scholars aren’t the only ones who think there was a worldwide flood. Stories of a great flood that wiped out everyone except one small group of people are found in ancient texts and folklore from cultures all over the world. Secular and creation scientists agree that there has been major, catastrophic flooding in Earth’s past. If Noah’s Flood happened as Genesis describes, what does that reveal about our origins? And could it happen again?

Did That Ark Float?

• Scientists, secularists and creationists, agree that there was major, catastrophic flooding in Earth’s past. However, that’s where their agreement ends.

• Scientists have two very different opinions of Noah’s Flood based on two different presuppositions (assumptions made beforehand). To better understand both points of view, it helps to understand two really big words that are key to our discussion: uniformitarianism and catastrophism.

• These are two different foundational beliefs that explain why two scientists who look at the same evidence can come back with two different conclusions.

• Uniformitarianism is the doctrine that processes like erosion and deposition that we observe today operated in exactly the same way in Earth’s remote geological past. An easier way of remembering this is the phrase “the present is the key to the past.”

• This concept underlies the belief that our world is billions of years old. Secular scientists believe that a single layer of geological strata represents a significant amount of time —even millions of years—of Earth’s activity. These secular scientists acknowledge that there have been changes to the landscape over these millions of years but still believe that the changes have been slow and gradual and happened at a fairly constant rate. Does that sound familiar? That’s because if you apply uniformitarian thinking to biology—the study of life—you get evolutionary ideas.

• Creation scientists see the world in the opposite way. They don’t assume that processes like erosion and deposition that we see today happened in exactly the same ways in the past as they do now. That’s because between what we see now and what we would have seen then there’s been a world-altering, watery catastrophe that resulted in our present-day geological formations.

• This doctrine of catastrophism says that Earth-surface features, like the rock layers and erosion in Grand Canyon, are the consequences of a key catastrophic event: a violent, destructive flood and its aftereffects. Contrary to uniformitarianists, Flood geologists say that the forces that have shaped Earth’s landscape and altered its geology and climate were all caused in a very short timeframe by a single, year-long catastrophic event—Noah’s Flood.

Think Tank

If you apply the uniformitarianism viewpoint to biology you get the idea of evolution. If rock strata took millions of years to form, then so did creatures.

What are some common reasons uniformitarian scientists say the Flood didn’t happen? They assume that “the present is the key to the past” and that today’s geological processes are fully responsible for forming the geological layers, fossils, and rocks. According to this theory, the global Flood did not happen because Earth’s materials and landforms that we see today are the result of slow and gradual processes.

According to creation scientists, the Flood took place about 4,500 years ago.

Why is it inaccurate to imagine the Flood in terms of just a lot of heavy rain? The Flood did a lot of geological work in a very short amount of time. The Bible even says the fountains of the great deep were broken up at the beginning of the Flood. A modern-day example of this kind of catastrophe, we can look at Mount St. Helens. Like the Flood, it did a lot of geological work in a very short time, including carving a canyon and depositing rock layers.

How did the floodwaters cover giant mountains like Mount Everest? The mountains were much smaller back then and were later uplifted by the collision of continental plates during the Flood to the heights they are now.

Where did much of the Flood’s water come from? Much, if not most, of the Flood’s water came from deep reservoirs the Bible calls the “fountains of the great deep” (Genesis 7:11). The ocean floors became hot, occupied more volume, and forced the world’s sea level to rise.

How would most scientists describe the organization of our continents in ancient times? All of the continents were once combined into a large supercontinent. At some point this continent broke apart into the continents we see today.

How does Mount St. Helen’s eruption support Noah’s Flood? It shows that a catastrophe like the Flood could, in fact, do “millions of years” worth of geological work in a short time.

Back to the Bible

Read Genesis 6-9 and 2 Peter 3:3-6.

What common origins viewpoint does 2 Peter 3:3-6 describe? These verses remind us of the doctrine of uniformitarianism.

List all of the ways that Peter describes the scoffers. He says that they are following their own sinful desires, questioning the promise of Jesus’ coming, and choosing to forget God’s creation and the Flood.

What do the scoffers “willfully forget”? They willfully forget the Flood and creation by God’s powerful spoken word.

In the context of the entire chapter, why do you think that Peter specifically mentions the Flood in 2 Peter 3:3-6? Perhaps, Peter mentions the Flood because, if God judged the world once by water, then He can do it again by fire, as He promises. Peter is warning us that “in the last days” people will begin to deny that God is the Creator and will choose to forget key events like the Flood so they can pretend that their evil deeds won’t be judged by a holy God.

Do you know anyone who reminds you of the people Peter is talking about in this passage? How could you approach them with the truth about creation and the Flood? A good start is to ask them questions about what they believe about origins and why.

How might Noah and his experience with the Flood be a picture of what Jesus did for us? Just like He did for Noah, God provides a way of escape and rescue from destruction for us. The danger facing Noah was a worldwide Flood. For us, it’s separation from God in hell. Jesus is the way of escape. In the same manner that only those in Noah’s ark were saved from the Flood, only those that are in Jesus Christ will be saved today.

What was God’s covenant with Noah? Does this mean that catastrophe will never strike the earth again? Why or why not? God would never again destroy the earth with a flood (Genesis 8:21;9:11). This doesn’t mean there will never again be a catastrophe.

Major Takeaway

Sometimes it takes courage to go against popular ideas and stand firm in your faith like Noah did. When we do, we can be certain that the same God that took care of Noah on the Ark is the same God we can trust to provide for us.

Next Week: How Old Is Earth?

Buried Clues

Fossils are the only hard evidence that can help us understand what life existed in the distant past. What secrets do they reveal, and what can science really tell us?

“And the waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth, and all the high hills under the whole heaven were covered…And all flesh died that moved on the earth: birds and cattle and beasts and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and every man.” — Genesis 7:19,21

Can science, along with the Bible, really provide answers for the deepest questions of life? There is a way of digging up the evidence—and finding the truth. Fossils are like snapshots of the past that give us a glimpse of the abundant life that once populated the earth. But do they explain the origins of that life? What do fossils actually show us?

Buried Evidence

• One of the main tools evolutionary scientists have used to promote evolution has been the fossil record—all the fossils that lie buried in rock formations in Earth’s sedimentary layers or strata. As you go deeper into the earth, the common assumption is that you go deeper in time.

• When you look at which fossils are buried in which layer, evolutionists say you supposedly get a picture of how life evolved from the simplest organisms buried in the deepest layers, to more complex and recent organisms, like dinosaurs, in the upper layers. Most evolutionists believe that this process of animals developing from simple to complex was a very slow and gradual one.

  If change happened very gradually, there should theoretically be transitional forms in the fossil record that show a major body shift between early versions of an organism and more complex later versions.

• But so far no undisputed transitional fossils have been found. So what does the evidence show? Diversity and Stasis (Stability).

• The evidence indicates a tremendous diversity of life, thousands upon thousands of examples of fossils —all preserved with few, if any, signs of decay . How could this happen? Dead animals don’t usually turn into fossils. So what forces could have created such near perfect preservation? A very rapid burial of these creatures provides an explanation—a burial so rapid that they didn’t have time to decay or end up as dinner for scavengers.

• The fossil record contains fully formed, plentiful life that shows complexity and completeness without major change—therefore, stability. And, strangely enough, the supposed transitional forms of life are missing. Amid all the diversity and complexity of fossils, there is no undisputed transitional creature that shows one species transitioning into another.

• It looks like what the fossil record doesn’t reveal could be just as important as what it does.

Think Tank

One of the main tools evolutionist use to promote evolution is the fossil record. They say that it shows the gradual progression from simple to complex life forms and that, as you go deeper into Earth, you go deeper in time.

Evolutionist say that there should be buried transitional forms because creatures supposedly changed over long periods of time and so the fossil record should show evidences of those changes.

What is significant about the two characteristics of the fossil record being diversity and stability? It shows that many creatures were buried rapidly, likely by water. The stasis (stability) of fossils shows that life appeared fully formed and amazingly complex without any transitional forms.

What is significant about the Cambrian and Precambrian rock layers? The Cambrian layers are known for containing much more complex life than the Precambrian layers under it. This jump from hardly any fossils to many complex fossils is referred to as the Cambrian Explosion. This is an “unconformity” in the evolutionary model, and it contradicts the idea that the layers took millions of years to form.

Of the fossils we have, most are marine invertebrates. Less than one percent of the remaining five percent are vertebrates.

What event in Earth’s past best explains how fossils were buried and where they are found? The fact that most fossils are the result of massive mudflows and rapid burial points to the Genesis Flood.

What do soft tissue fossils indicate? Soft tissue fossils cannot last for millions of years. The fact that soft tissue has been found in dinosaur bones that are claimed to be millions of years old indicates that dinosaurs may have lived just thousands of years ago.

Back to the Bible

Read Genesis 7.

List some of the action words the Bible uses to record the Flood account?

Of the animals that were not on the Ark, which ones died and which ones might have survived the Flood? Read Genesis 7:21. The ones that might have survived were the beasts of the seas, those that did not creep on the earth.

How does the Bible’s record line up with the fossil record? The fossil record shows diversity in its layers, indicating that many kinds of animals died at the same time by a great catastrophe. Also, all animals appear fully formed. This fits the Flood account.

Why do you think the history recorded in the Bible can be so unpopular? It tells us that humans are not their own masters—God rules over us. Genesis is not a neutral book. We either choose to let the Word of God speak for itself, or we submit it to our own self-declared authority.

Remember

Even with scientific evidence on your side, you’ll discover that believing the great Genesis Flood buried the majority of fossils is an unpopular viewpoint, but popularity has nothing to do with truth.

How can you prepare yourself to share what is true with people who may disagree with you?

Next Week: Flood or Fiction? We will consider the evidence.

What is Man?

Did we evolve from the animal kingdom, or were we uniquely and divinely created to be stewards over the earth?

“Then God said, ‘Let Us make main in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” - Genesis 1:26

Is it true that the earth is billions of years old and that humans have only been around a fraction of the time? Are people just intelligent animals, or are we more special than that? What makes us human, and what is our purpose?

Cracking the Genetic Code

• The key to what we are biologically—whether we’re a person or an amoeba or a chimpanzee or a gnat—is written in the DNA. It’s the blueprint of our bodies.

• DNA is a macromolecule found in the nucleus of nearly every cell of every living thing. The DNA tells the cell what function to do.

• The DNA is packed tightly together to make a gene; each chromosome carries information in the form of many genes.

• Inside the chromosome is the heredity information that is passed from generation to generation.

• This information helps determine physical attributes like your hair color, how tall you might grow, facial characteristics, and even whether and when you will lose your hair.

• And on the most basic level, your DNA carries the information that determines what kind of organism you are. All organisms get their DNA information from their parent or parents, whether it’s one-cell mold spore, a bear, or a human.

• In humans, you get 23 chromosomes from your mother and 23 from your father. The smallest of those pairs of chromosomes—the X and Y chromosomes—determines your gender, among other things. The other 22 pairs of chromosomes carry your other genetic makeup and even your predisposition to certain diseases.

• And, of course, each your parents received their attributes from their parents. And your grandparents got theirs from your great-grandparents. And they, in turn, got their attributes from their parents, your great-great-grandparents.

• A DNA molecule has a double-helix structure that looks like a twisted ladder. The ladder’s rungs are made from four unique chemicals called nucleotides, known by their initials G, A, T, and C. They pair up—A with T and G with C—all along the DNA strand.

• The DNA strand is made of these four chemical letters. Those letters make genetic words. Those words form genetic sentences, and those sentences make paragraphs. In this analogy, genes are the sentences and chromosomes are the paragraphs.

• A creature’s particular DNA sequence of chemical letters is what determines what the organism is—whether it’s a jellyfish or a human, a butterfly or a zebra.

Think Tank

Charles Darwin and Thomas Huxley helped form the idea of evolution. Their books divided science and theology (which actually agree) by suggesting that life had a natural cause not a divine cause.

Evolution’s basic assumptions are (1) that all of life evolved over long spans of time, (2) that any differences among life forms are the result of natural selection and some adaptations and mutations along the way, (3) that similar design means that we must have a common ancestor.

It is commonly taught that the chimp and human genomes are 98-99 percent similar, but they are really only about 70 percent similar. Things like physical differences, dexterity, morality, and intellect also separate humans from chimps.

The three main problems with the theory of Evolution: (1) None of the major steps of evolution have ever been repeated in a lab. (2) Evolution would happen too slowly for us to observe, and changes on the scale Darwin was suggesting have not been observed. (3) Evolution fails the test Darwin gave. It can be shown that many living organisms cannot be built by “numerous, successive, slight modifications” and so could not have evolved.

Calling a life system “irreducibly complex” means that to remove one part would destroy the function of the entire system. Irreducibly complex systems could not have been built by numerous, successive, slight modifications—or, in other words, evolution.

Our view on origins matters because it affects what we believe about our meaning and purpose, our relationship with God, and our life after death.

How would you explain the value of human life to someone who believes we are no more than sophisticated animals? The Bible says that we are created in God’s own image. This gives us value and meaning apart from animals.

Extraordinary Evidence

For life to exist, an information system—DNA—is needed to produce and regulate life functions. But DNA can be destroyed by a variety of agents, including ultraviolet (UV) light, reactive oxygen species, alkylating agents, and water. Yes, even water can damage DNA. So, water and many chemical agents dissolved in it, along with UV light, would destroy DNA much faster than any possible natural process could produce it.

Thankfully, we have human DNA repair genes. There are over 100 of them, and without them DNA couldn’t survive even in a cell’s protective environment. DNA is necessary for the survival of DNA. Therefore, it would have been impossible for DNA repair genes to evolve before ordinary DNA evolved, and it would have been impossible for ordinary DNA to evolve before DNA repair genes had evolved. This is another example of irreducible complexity and an impossible problem for evolution to overcome or explain.

Back to the Bible

Read Genesis 1:27; Romans 5:8; Philippians 2:13.

What did God do differently in His creation of humans compared to animals? God created man in His image. God works in us to make us more like Him and even died so that we could be forgiven and go to heaven. Animals do not receive this kind of attention from God or have fellowship with God.

How does God show His love for us? He sent His Son to die for our sins.

How is our relationship with God different from His relationship with animals? God provides us with forgiveness and salvation and desires companionship with us. He created us in His image. Animals do not have this special and unique relationship with God.

Describe what it means for God to be working in us. God is spirit and He has given each of us a spirit and through the spirit He can work in us. As we choose to draw near God by gaining knowledge and understanding of His word and striving to live and act accordingly, He helps change our minds and hearts so that we become more like Him. This can be seen in our selflessness, forgiving of others, helping and serving others, etc.

What ultimate thing gives humans meaning and purpose? We were specially created by God in His image, and He sent Jesus to die for our sins so that our relationship with God could be restored.

What happens when people don’t understand their humanity as God tells us He created it in the Bible? People reject God and His word and try to lead lives without meaning or purpose.

Takeaways

Humans are created in God’s image with the unique ability to have a spiritual life and genuine, intelligent, compassionate fellowship with God forever.

God put Adam and Eve on Earth as stewards of His creation.

Humans have ultimate meaning and purpose because we are created in God’s image to have fellowship with Him forever, and that relationship has been redeemed by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That is how important we are to God, and that should give us joy, hope, and purpose for every day we are given upon this Earth.

What is Life?

This is one of the biggest questions we face—what we believe about this matters.

“And God made the beast of the earth…and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.” — Genesis 1:25

Whether you assume that life is the product of chance and time or that God created life in its current form—or you believe a little bit of each—the question remains: What is life?

You can take a clinical approach and describe life by the biological functions and processes that take place, or you can describe the basic chemical elements that distinguish plants and animals from inorganic matter like rocks. But this still does not get at the big question.

What is that breath of God or spark of energy or whatever you want to call it—that thing that starts life and ends at death?

KNOW YOUR TERMS

Life: The ability to grow, reproduce, move independently, and metabolize.

Primordial Soup Model: Random chemicals came together and formed the first self-replicating molecule.

Vertical Evolution: Over time, creatures move upward from the simplest creature to the most complex.

Second Law of Thermodynamics: Everything tends to go from order to disorder.

First Commandment to Humans: “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion.”

First Cause: That which came before the universe and created the universe.

THINK TANK

What are the three “mechanisms” that evolutionists think took creatures from being simple to being complex? Adaptation, Mutation, and Natural Selection

What are some major problems with the theory of evolution? (1) Scientific experiments have never created life, but most evolutionary models require that spontaneous generation of life happened at least once in the beginning. (2) Vertical evolution relies on the pattern that simple life forms became complex, but there is no good explanation for that theory since mutations typically aren’t beneficial. (3) Vertical evolution contradicts the Second Law of Thermodynamics. (4) The chicken-and-egg problem means that parts needed for life all depend on each other, so evolution can’t explain how life started.

What was the significance of Louis Pasteur’s origin of life experiments? They demonstrated that life only comes from life.

What clue does Genesis 1:11-12 give about how organisms reproduce? And what does it suggest about DNA? Organisms bear “fruit according to [their] kind,” with their seeds in themselves. This indicates that god created organisms with the DNA to reproduce according to their own kind and not any other.

If someone believes life started just with chemicals randomly fitting together, how does that by necessity affect their worldview? If we are just the product of random chance, then there is no God, life has no meaning, and standards of right and wrong have no basis.

When discussing the origin of life with a person whose view is not based on the Bible, how would you support the fact that life only comes from life? Louis Pasteur performed experiments that showed that life only comes from life. Fred Hoyle said that if life were to come from non-life, it would be like a tornado sweeping through a junkyard and assembling a Boeing 747 with perfect precision and exactness.

EXTRAORDINARY EVIDENCE

Life was created fully functional. Many impossible things would have to happen for evolution to explain where life came from. The most logical explanation is that a FIRST CAUSE—something all-powerful (omnipotent) and all-knowing (omniscient) beyond our universe—created life.

DNA points to a creator. DNA, Deoxyribonucleic acid, is the information system for life. This complex language system stores life’s blueprints and demands an author. Information is a product of intelligence, which indicates that DNA came from an intelligent source, the Creator.

Cells protect life systems. All living things are made of cells. For DNA and proteins to work correctly, the cell membrane must protect them from unwanted reactions with chemicals in the environment. Proteins provide the catalyst for building and maintaining this wall-like barrier, and DNA’s information specifies the construction of those proteins. In the end, the cell membrane selects materials helpful to the cell and protects it against harmful ones. These three factors—DNA information, protein catalysts (enzymes), and a protective environment—have to be present at the same time for life to exist as cells.

Natural selection and adaptation don’t create life. Changes in basic kinds of organisms are limited to variations within the kinds. Harmful mutations lead to extinction not to new complex systems. Mutations cannot create a single gene. Plants and animals were originally created with large gene pools within their created kinds. A large gene pool gives a created kind the genetic potential (the potential to produce a variety of types within a kind) to adapt to different ecosystems and ensure the survival of that kind of organism. For example, there are many shapes, sizes, and colors of dogs, illustrating the tremendous genetic potential in this kind of animal. Natural selection can only operate on the genetic material already present in a population of organisms of the same kind. It can’t create new genetic information and then change one kind of organism into another—it can’t change a dog into a cat.

Life’s natural direction is not evolution. Copying errors in DNA’s information are called mutations, which adversely affect the cell and organism. Damage to the genome shortens the lifespan of individuals and entire populations. As time passes, genetic information erodes. Mutations in the genomes of organisms are usually nearly neutral, with little effect on the organism’s fitness—its ability to survive. But the buildup of harmful mutations does occur, and this causes genetic degeneration. Mutations lead to the loss of genetic information and, consequently, the loss of genetic potential. This results in what is termed genetic load for a population of organisms. Genetic load is the amount of mutation in a kind of organism that affects its fitness in a particular environment. We haven’t seen mutations increase genetic potential, but they do increase genetic load and make survival harder—especially in man. So life naturally heads toward harmful changes, not the helpful ones that evolution claims.

BACK TO THE BIBLE

Read Genesis 1:26, 28-29; Leviticus 17:11; 1 Corinthians 15:20-26.

What does it mean when the Bible says life is “in the blood”? How does this fit with how scientists would describe something as alive? If you have blood, then you have life. It is a different definition from the ones many scientists use. Plants can metabolize and reproduce, but according to the Bible, they aren’t alive in the same way that animals and people are alive because they don’t have blood.

Where did all of life come from? All of life came from God’s creation of the world in Genesis 1.

List some things that set humans apart from plants and animals. Humans were made in the image of God. Humans can make things out of their imaginations. Humans produce things purely for intellectual and aesthetic purposes. Humans are the only creatures that worship something.

What important task did God give us in Genesis? God gave humans the responsibility of ruling over the world and caring for it.

If we truly believe God made us special and set apart, how should that change the way we work, play, live, and interact with others? We should seek to know and understand God’s will for our lives so that we can please him in all areas of our life. We will recognize that we are all made in His image, so we are all unique and special and therefore, we should treat each other as such. We should place great value on life since it is from God.

What hope do Christians have in spite of the fact that life will someday end? Christians have hope in an eternal life spent with God through salvation in Jesus Christ.

OBSERVE GOD’S CREATION INTENTLY

I have heard one say that if you are bored with life it is because you are the one that is boring. The point is that God’s creation and this life is far from boring if you truly engage with it.

What are some activities that can help us and our families engage with God’s creation in an exciting way?

Chaos or Cosmos?

This series of articles is focused on providing evidence of the Bible’s accuracy and authority from the beginning (Genesis). The Bible is truly the word of God and therefore His creation reflects and confirms the words of the Bible. Everywhere we turn, the data show the undeniable purpose and plan of the Great Designer, God. This series is focused on showing you the evidence.

Chaos or Cosmos?

Was the universe designed, or is it a product of random choice?

“The LORD by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding He established the heavens.” - Proverbs 3:19

What do you see when you look at the world? What do you see in nature? What can you identify in the wings of a butterfly? What do the rising and setting of the sun or the ebb and flow of the tide have in common?

To understand how the world came to be—how we came to be—we have to start with the question of design. When you consider the world around you—people, atoms, plants, animals, outer space—do you see randomness or design?

Did some designer with a purpose and plan execute all that we see and experience? Or was no designer involved and what we see and experience simply happened this way by random processes? It’s one or the other. It can’t be both.

Evidence You Can See

Examine a whale’s fin and a bird’s wing. Looking at the skeletons of these two, they have marked similarity. All of earth’s creatures show design that’s perfectly suited to where they live.

We can group animals, plants, and even minerals into different categories simply because there are such major similarities. Back in 1735, Carl Linnaeus developed his now famous hierarchy of classification.

When animals change and adapt to match their surroundings, we call this mimicry. Like a chameleon—if he needs to be green, he’ll be green. Or brown. Or black. Or whatever he needs.

Most scientists see the theory of evolution as the fact of evolution. They explain our origins by natural selection, which says that the animal that is the most fit gets to move up the food chain. And the ones that are the least fit die out.

Evolutionists say similarity in Earth’s creatures exists because we all came from the same common ancestor and that through natural selection we adapted features that are similar but unique to our own species.

Creation scientists believe that animals and plants must have a Designer. There’s too much complexity for them to have simply happened randomly. Design is beautiful, but design is also functional.

Creation scientists agree that animals do adapt. But first, they point out that animals adapt only within their own kind—big cats to little cats and big dogs to little dogs. Not from one kind to another kind.

Our DNA is the program that runs the machinery of our body.

Natural selection is often a misnomer. Nature can’t select because the selections are already designed into each creature’s DNA.

In order for naturalistic scientists to get their theory to work, they rely upon one extremely critical bit of evidence—the transitional forms—sometimes called the missing links.

But, there’s not one bit of solid evidence for any creature that evolutionists agree is a transitional form that shows natural selection changed one species to another species.

Think Tank

Where do you see design in our world and in your family?

Earth is perfectly suited for life—not too hot, not too cold.

Where do you see mimicry among plants and animals?

God designed mimicry to allow creatures to blend in with their surrounds. For example, the mimic octopus can morph its body into 15 different creatures because of its design.

There is a lot of beauty in the world that serves no apparent purpose, but beauty isn’t random. So, why do you think it’s here?

Beauty is further evidence of God’s handiwork. He didn’t have to make nature beautiful, but He did for our enjoyment and His glory.

What do evolutionists believe about the origin of life?

Life is a product of time, chance, and random changes.

Creation scientists agree that animals adapt, but what are the two key points on which they disagree with secular scientists?

Adaptation does happen, but only within an animal’s kind—like horses to zebras. Also, this adaptation doesn’t come from an external source. It is built into the DNA of every living thing.

Other than experiments, what important evidence do evolutionists need to support their theory about the origin of life, and where is this evidence?

They need evidence of transitional forms, but no undisputed evidence exists. Even secular scientists debate any fossils that has been presented as a transitional form.

Extraordinary Evidence

This scientific evidence challenges an evolutionary origin and instead points to God’s creation:

1. Today’s atmosphere contains 78 percent nitrogen, 21 percent molecular oxygen, and one percent of other gases, like carbon dioxide, argon, and water vapor. An atmosphere that had free oxygen (oxygen atoms not bonded to any other atoms) would be fatal to all origin of life schemes—it would oxidize and destroy all organic molecules required for life to start. Even though there is much evidence that the earth has always had a huge amount of free oxygen in the atmosphere, evolutionists keep saying that there was no oxygen in the earth’s early atmosphere. But this would also be fatal to the way evolutionists say life began. Without oxygen, there wouldn’t be a protective layer of ozone surrounding the earth. The sun’s deadly, destructive ultraviolet light would pour down on the surface of the earth with nothing stopping it, destroying the organic molecules required for life.

   Evolutionists face a problem they can’t solve: In the presence of oxygen, life could not evolve; but without oxygen (which means no ozone), life could not evolve…or exist.

2. The energy available on a hypothetical primitive earth would include mostly radiation from the sun, with some energy from electrical discharges (lightning) and minor sources of energy from radioactive decay and heat. Evolution’s problem is that sources of raw energy destroy biological molecules faster than sources of raw energy form them. The fast breakdown of those supposed “building blocks” of life would remove any possibility of them accumulating enough organic compounds to make life—no matter how much time might be available.

God’s Word

“O LORD, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom, You have made them all. The earth is full of Your possessions.” - Psalm 104:24

1. According to Genesis 1:1-28 God created everything in six days.

2. What happened on each day?

Day One: God created time (the beginning), space (the heavens), matter (the earth), light energy (light), and the night-day cycle (Genesis 1:3-5).

Day Two: God made the firmament (called heaven) and divided the waters (1:6-8).

Day Three: God created dry land (Earth), the seas, and plants (1:9-13).

Day Four: God made the sun, moon, and stars (1:14-19).

Day Five: God made sea creatures and winged creatures (1:20-23).

Day Six: God made land creatures and man (1:24-27).

3. What did God say about His creation? He said His creation was “very good” (Genesis 1:31).

4. What commands did God give to His creation and also specifically man? God told His creation to “be fruitful and multiply,” and He told man to “fill the earth and subdue it” and to have dominion over all other creatures (Genesis 1:22,28).

5. When God created man, what did He do differently than He did with His other creations? God made man in His own image (Genesis 1:27).

6. What are some of the things that these verses reveal to us about God? He is in control. He created with wisdom and understanding. He is powerful. God alone is all-powerful and responsible for creating everything. He alone has supreme control and authority since it is His creation.

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse (Romans 1:18-20).

The Bottom-line, The Take Away!!

The Bible describes our extremely complex world with a simple explanation that accounts for everything: Our world was made by a Designer. In the first chapter of Genesis, God laid out for us the steps He wisely took when He created the world. He planned and purposed our world—and YOU.

Next Week: What is Life?