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History and
Science
Knowing this first, that no Richard E. Evans Truths, though substantiated by reason, are ultimately a matter of faith. There are two fundamental truths that must be avowed before study of the Bible is to be fully fruitful: w There is a God, the Creator of all things; w The Bible is the word of God—an instruction book, or operating manual, given creation by the Creator.
Acceptance of the Bible as the God-exhaled
word (2 Timothy 3:16) is a matter of faith. However, the certitude of its
prophecies concerning future events, its ancient history, its geopolitical
details, its understanding of the physical world, are continually being
corroborated by valid facts of history and science. As humankind’s knowledge of
such facts advances, the inerrancy of the Bible will undoubtedly be confirmed
even more. Peter’s Precept The precept set forth by the apostle Peter (see theme text above) establishes a vital requisite for Bible study. Inasmuch as the entire Bible (Old and New Testaments) was God-exhaled, each part is to be understood in light of the whole. Difficult passages are to be compared to parallel passages and to the overall message. When all passages on a given subject are studied, the unambiguous will help interpret the difficult. When properly understood, passages will harmonize with each other and with validated facts of history and science! Many today believe the Bible to be true. They also believe history and science to be true. It is unfortunate, however, that when there is a seeming conflict, a significant number believe the ideas of secular history and science to be more reliable than the accounts in the Bible. Such should not be. As has been shown numerous times, historic and scientific ideas, like inept biblical interpretation, can be tainted with human error (e.g., Nebraska Man the star witness of the Scopes trial; Piltdown Man; and “ether,” the imagined medium for electromagnetic wave propagation; etc.). A statement by Moses, a prophet’s thought, a lesson from Jesus, and an apostle’s admonition, when “rightly divided” will reveal the certain import of God’s word on a topic. A Scripture taken separately, however, may give an incomplete thought. As Peter declared, no text is to be interpreted privately. A Scripture by itself, ignoring reference to related texts, may lead to serious error. Such “private interpretation” has resulted in many false ideas concerning divine purpose (e.g., god of wrath, eternal torment, immortal soul, literal 24-hour days of creation, etc.). The only sure way to the truth on a given subject, be it biblical, historic, or scientific, must consider all the Bible reveals. If there is even one text that must be forced to fit, or put aside, a proposed conclusion is problematic.
“ In the Beginning “In the beginning God created the heaven[s] and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). With this opening, the Bible establishes itself as an account of historic fact, a chronicle in space and time. What follows is that the history of the universe was not static. There was a beginning, and the epic ebbs and flows into a future that has been predetermined by the One who “in the beginning” created the heavens and the earth. “Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God [the liberty that makes a loving creation possible]. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now” (Romans 8:21,22). The historical record of the creation of humankind and its “fall” (the loss of a life that had the capacity to be everlasting) is an example of the interdependence of history and science with the Bible. For the Bible that “fall” is a fact that is addressed by the whole of what is written, and the ultimate resolution of which is predicted. On the other hand, there has been nothing brought forth by either archaeologist or scientist that provides a clue to explain the why of civilization’s great dilemma—why has so great a potential resulted in only death and evil? Is that all there is?
Children, especially those of an oppressed minority,
need to be told the facts of their personal history in order for them to
understand their current place in the social order, rightly or wrongly.
Humankind needs to know the facts of its history and its beginnings to
understand its present condition. As the archaeologist uncovers ever more of the
early history of the human creation—the writing, the art, the artifacts—it
reveals that humankind has always been aware of its uniqueness. Though superior
to nonhuman earthly creation, humankind throughout the ages has exhibited the
same impaired behavior so evident today. Only a true history will reveal the
road taken by such a fallen race and make sense of its present dilemma—a
history neither archaeologist nor scientist can originate, but can only
substantiate. Validated Facts Support the Bible Though there has been great effort through the centuries to discredit the Bible, it has withstood every challenge. The more the archaeologist digs, the more evidence is uncovered to support the historic facts the Bible sets forth. The more the scientist learns of the physical universe, the more that knowledge supports the biblical statements about the cosmos. An example of the harmony of science and history with the Bible was shown in recent world-wide comparisons of DNA. A study published in Nature in 1987 demonstrated all women in the world are descended from one common female ancestor. A second study published in Science in 1995 demonstrated all men are descended from one common male ancestor. These independent studies suggest the common male ancestor lived later than the female. This agrees wonderfully with the Bible. Of the eight humans who survived the Flood, Noah and his sons shared DNA. There is no evidence, however, their wives had such a commonality and in all likelihood did not. So, since the Flood, Noah is the most recent common male ancestor for men, whereas that ancestor for women was probably Eve, who lived many centuries earlier. (The Herald of Christ’s Kingdom, July/August 1998, “Creation, Evolution, and DNA”). By the measured mutation rates, she may have lived only six thousand years ago. Of all the exacting collections of knowledge that claim to present such primal truth, only the Bible contains facts that anticipated archaeologic and scientific discovery, not just by years but by millennia. Over 3,000 years before the space age Job taught that the earth is suspended in space: “[God] hangeth the earth upon nothing” (Job 26:7). For thousands of years Roman custom believed the earth was flat, but the prophet Isaiah knew it to be a sphere: “It is he [God] that sitteth upon the circle2 of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers” (Isaiah 40:22). Before modern technology made it possible to map the ocean floor, man asserted it to be sandy and relatively smooth, shaped like a bowl; yet, millennia ago Jonah told of “mountains” in the depths of the sea: “The waters compassed me [Jonah] about … the weeds were wrapped about my head. I went down to the bottoms of the mountains” (Jonah 2:5,6; cf., Job 38:16). Just a few centuries ago Galileo explained the water cycle: sun evaporates water from the oceans, water vapor rises as clouds, wind transports the clouds over land, the vapor condenses and falls as snow and rain, melted snow and rain collect in streams and rivers and return to the oceans to repeat the process (also known as the hydrologic cycle). Without this cycle there would be no pure water to sustain the earthly creation. Old Testament writers knew of this cycle long before Galileo. “He [God] bindeth up the waters in his thick clouds; and the cloud is not rent under them” (Job 26:8). “For he [God] maketh small the drops of water: they pour down rain according to the vapour thereof” (Job 36:27). “When he [God] uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens; and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth” (Jeremiah 51:16). “He that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: the LORD is his name” (Amos 9:6). The first book to describe the currents that exist in the oceans was printed in the 1800s; yet, David, who probably never saw an ocean, wrote of such “paths”: “The fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas” (Psalm 8:8). There is an ever-expanding body of validated archaeologic and scientific facts confirming the accuracy and reliability of the properly-understood history and science set forth in the Bible. Future endeavors can do nothing but support that agreement—after all, they all have a common source. As a consequence there should be no fear from such activity; yet, at the same time we should be careful not to accept any arbitrary rejection of biblical claims by new scientific or historical ideas, as those ideas could again prove to be invalid. The various books of the Bible are not antiquated narratives that have outlived their usefulness, as some critics eagerly suppose. Instead, they reveal the foundation on which the future history of the world depends. The first book begins an outline that reaches to the last. Collectively they contain the only information God has made known concerning redemption, grace, faith, liberty, and love—the hope of a life without end. That good news, “gospel,” runs through the whole. Science and history (archaeology) do not, and cannot, deliver such news. If the Bible were not true, there would be no hope for humankind! The Bible asserts this vital truth: all who spurn the words of God recorded therein turn their back on life.
“Happy is the All who embrace the wisdom of the Bible, the words that give life, embrace life. All who do not, embrace death.
“Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not. Blessed is the man that
heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors. For
whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD.
But he that sinneth against me [Wisdom] wrongeth his own soul: all they that
hate me [and my words] love death.” (Proverbs 8:33-36). The Word of God There is a God! The Bible is the word of God! It is the “wisdom” of the living God, the heavenly Father, the Creator of all things (Genesis 1:1-27; Isaiah 42:5; 45:12). It is the only inspired record of the Creator’s interaction with his creation known to humankind and of his ultimate purpose to be “all in all” with a loving creation (1 Corinthians 15:28). Though recorded by diverse individuals, the Bible is not an aggregate of independent musings as commonly expressed in popular media. Though it has had many transcribers, there is one Author, and all its parts are united in a most beautiful harmony. Every part illustrates the whole, the whole sheds light on every part. All have one intent, to demonstrate that “God is love” (1 John 4:8,16) by revealing His grand purpose of liberty and love—the “Plan of the Ages” (Ephesians 3:10,11, Wilson’s Emphatic Diaglott). “For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another” (Galatians 5:13).
“And this is life The Bible (Old and New Testaments) is absolute! No accommodation is made for any other god, for any other religion, for any other way to a life of love that never ends. The God of the Bible is the only true God, the Creator of all! “Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made heaven[s], the heaven[s] of heavens, with all their host [angels], the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven[s] worshippeth thee” (Nehemiah 9:6). “Now unto the King eternal [of the ages], immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever [the ages of the ages]. Amen.” (1 Timothy 1:17).
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