IN THE BEGINNING… Witness of the Bow 6
Dec 14, 2015
The Witness of the Bow
40 days heavy rain can’t flood the planet!
Life length (~900 yrs) seems difficult to envisage
Rainbows can’t suddenly “appear” in history!
3
2
1
Reflex objections to Genesis 1-9
Consider the actual description in Genesis 1
And God said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water.” So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. 1:6-7
1
Objection 1: 40 Days Rain does not Flood the Planet
Rock plate
Magma
Sea
Sky
Aqueous shell
Science
b
a
c
7 x 1020 kg
2000 psi
New eutectic ≡m
God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. 1:7
Bible
1
…all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. 7:11
The water receded steadily from the earth. 8:3
0
50
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0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Generations from Adam
Ag
e w
ith 1
st c
hild
(ye
ars
)
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
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100
Ag
e w
ith 1
st c
hild
(%
)Actual years
% of life
Adam
Seth
Enoch
Methuselah
• Age with 1st child ~ 14% of lifespan
• Equivalent age of first child ~ 12 years old
• Equivalent lifespan in modern terms ~ 95 years
Objection 2: Life length (~900 yrs) seems unrealistic
They aren’t living abnormally long, they’re aging abnormally
slowly.
2 What would be the anticipated effect on lifespan of a collapse of shell of water around the Earth?
Human lifespan,previously at equilibrium (a), would, immediately after the Flood, (b) exponentially decay (c) to a lower equilibrium (d).
Scientific best guess Bible
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1000
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24
Generations from Adam
Life
span
(ye
ars)
Flood
y = 2860e-0.144x
(a) (c)
(b)
(d)
“I procured me a Triangular-glass Prisme to try therewith the celebrated Phaenomena of colours.”
Isaac Newton, 1672
Objection 3: Rainbows can’t suddenly “appear” in history!
Scientist Discovery
BC 300 Euclid Light reflected by surfaces
AD 130 Ptolemy / Plato Light refracted in water
1600 Galilei Astronomical telescope
1637 Snell / Descartes Theory of Refraction
1666 Newton White light refracts into colours
1670 Huyghens Polarization; Wave theory
1676 Romer Finite speed of light
1801 Young Optical Interference
1870 Maxwell Propagation through ether
1880-1905
Micholson
Einstein / Poincaré
Disproved existence of ether
1905-1920
Planck / Einstein
Heisenberg
Schrödinger
Pauli / Dirac
Wave/particle duality
The Photon
Self propagation through space
Quantum Mechanics
3 What would be the anticipated effect of this aqueous shell model on the visibility of rainbows?
a b
Science
Bible
“I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.” 9:13-15
• Diffuse light source with water layer in place
• Non-parallel rays: no polychromatic refraction
• Therefore no rainbow (Isaac Newton, 1666)The Bible describes both features: divided waters
and no rainbows before the Flood!
Before the Flood
Analysis: Compare ‘Aqueous Shell’ Model with Bible text
During the Flood Event• Collapse would produce global Flood• Earth submerged by pressure, not water height• Continental plates would subsequently emerge• No mechanism required to remove water
Analysis: Compare ‘Aqueous Shell’ Model & Bible text
Again the Bible describes both features: an extensive Flood and waters receding without further event!
After the Flood – Lifespans• Increased rate of cellular growth and decay (from increased radiation density at Earth’s surface)• Subsequent immediate decay in lifespan• Equilibrium value re-established at lower limit
The Bible testifies to all three points – from a historical point long before these things would be understood!
Pre-FloodLifespan~ 910 yrs
Post-FloodLifespan~ 120 yrs
Analysis: Compare ‘Aqueous Shell’ Model & Bible text
• Rainbows necessarily result after Flood
• Rainbow guarantees no water layer above Earth
• Absence of water layer assures no repeat Flood
Again the Bible details all three points – again from a historical point before these things would be understood!
After the Flood – Rainbows
Analysis: Compare ‘Aqueous Shell’ Model & Bible text
• Number of coincidences required for Bible to be false is straining credibility
• Bible has been party to knowledge from sources beyond human ability
• Lends considerable credence to Bible’s own claim to be the Inspired Word of God
Witness of the Bow: Conclusions
• Available evidence suggests it is logical to take Bible as super-human knowledge
“Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
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Adam
Lamech
Flood
Shem
New Beginning: New Witness
Noah’sdeath
Seth’sdeath
Isaac
Methuselah
Seth
Noah
Abram
The LORD appeared to Abram and said… Gen 12:1
Continuing Witness
Seth
Noah
Abram
Noah Abram
The LORD appeared to Abram and said… Gen 12:1
2 000 years
“Be strong and courageous… The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
Seth Noah Abram
2 000 years
the Spirit of God was hovering over… 1:2