Science and The Bible

Scientists have begun to come across evidence that structures in Egypt such as the Sphinx and some recently discovered temples are from a civilization that predates the Egyptians of Biblical times who built the pyramids. The Sphinx shows evidence of weathering by rain water and possibly from flooding. However, the erosion is deeper than can be explained by the known weather patterns in what now is a desert.

Similarly, scientists reported that they have recovered large numbers of well-preserved "pre-historic" creatures, such as woolly mammoths frozen in the ice of northern Siberia, in Russia. These specimens had undigested vegetation which only grew in temperate zones still in their stomachs. One woolly mammoth's last meal was identified as flowering buttercups. Whatever event froze these creatures occurred very quickly, giving the hapless animals no time to escape and no time to decay.

Scientist also have known that for several hundreds of years most of the continents of North America and Europe were held in the grip of huge glaciers in what they have always described as an "ice age." They have also theorized that at one time almost all of the land masses of the earth were joined together in what may have been one super continent. For a long time, geologist have theorized that the drift of the continents and many of the geological features seen in the earth's crust took millions of years to form.

Now, however, a new theory has been put forth, one that explains all the above findings and also fits in well with history as recorded in the Bible. This new theory suggests that at sometime in the past there was a shift in the earth's tectonic plates caused by a gradual massive build-up of the polar ice caps. They explained that the tectonic plates on which the land masses ride actually float on a layer of molten magma below the earth's crust. As the weight from ice and snow increased at the poles, the rotation of the earth caused the plates to shift or slip. The plates with the most weight would have tended to align themselves along the equator.

A shift in the tectonic plates would cause a number of catastrophic events to take place. Massive earthquakes and volcanic eruptions would occur. There might be fracturing of the plates which would cause huge fissures to form releasing volcanic magma. The ocean waters would be driven up over the land. It would also come in contact the magma spewing out of the open fissures, throwing large amounts of steam into the atmosphere. Weather patterns would go crazy. Rain storms and flooding would take place on a world-wide scale. Finally, areas which were once tropical and temperate zones suddenly find themselves thrust into the cold polar regions, while the frozen zones would be pulled into the temperate and tropical zones. The shifted ice caps would melt and recede while new ice caps would form. Many existing animal species and human civilizations would have been almost certainly wiped out. Any surviving people would have been, technologically speaking, set back almost to zero.

Fossils have been discovered on Antarctica which show that this now frozen region was once covered by tropical forests. Large fissures have also been found in the deep oceans between the continents where magma still escapes adding several inches of material to the ends of the tectonic plates each year. The plates have now slowed to a crawl but are still moving. Their movement still sets off massive earthquakes.

In some recent volcanic eruptions, most notably Mt. St. Helens, geologist found that formations such as layered rock strata, gorges, and petrified forest development, which they earlier assumed took millions of years to develop, formed in only a matter of days!!!

How does this fit in with the Bible? Chapter 6 of the Book of Genesis describes the condition of the earth at the time of Noah. It describes men as being long-lived, (some over 900 years old) and some as being giants, mighty men and men of renown, but that it was a time of violence as mankind had corrupted itself. It describes how God determined to destroy His creation and start over again with the descendants of Noah. Genesis 7:11-13 says, "In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. 12 And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights. 13 In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark;" Could the term "fountains of the great deep" being broken up be a reference to the opening of fissures and volcanic activity just prior to the rains and flood waters?

Genesis further describes that the rains did not cease for 40 days, and the water did not begin to subside from the land for 150 days (approximately 5 months). The earth was not inhabitable for months after that. The Bible also seems to indicate that the tectonic plate movement continued for some time after the initial sudden shift which may have helped to cause the flood of Noah. Noah's son Shem had a son named Eber shortly after the flood. In Genesis 10:25 we read, "And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother's name was Joktan." The name Peleg means “earthquake” in Hebrew and Joktan means “he will be made little.”Earthquakes would have continued while the tectonic plates continued to drift.

It would not be unreasonable to assume that a number of years would pass before these survivors grew enough in strength and numbers to begin exploring the land again. Only then would they discover that the land they once knew had broken up and divided into different continents.