davidbowerkingwood

The Bible is a Masterpiece of Understatement!

I have often observed how the Bible can describe the most incredible events in the simplest of unadorned language. A case in point is the Genesis flood, where in Genesis 7:4 God reveals:

“⁴ For after seven more days I will cause it to rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and I will destroy from the face of the earth all living things that I have made.”

We must look to the evidence that remains in order to complete the picture of what God did in the destruction of the world as it was. The evidence that remains paints a horrendous picture of violence and destruction that is almost impossible to even imagine.

Massive Destruction of Biblical Proportions!

It is estimated close to 9 billion people died when the earth was reshaped into the condition we see today. Since the flood, the earth has remained in a relatively stable condition with no major disruptions. The North and South Poles have remained great areas of ice, while the equatorial areas have remained tropical hot houses.

I have written more on the flood in a series that starts with, “The Garden of Eden.”

The world as we see it today, is the product of the Genesis flood; the mountain ranges, the canyons, the arrangement of the continents, the ocean boundaries, the distribution of the tectonic plates, the frigid North and South poles, all of the topographic features on the earth were shaped by the flood and the massive geological upheaval with which it was associated including the three eruptions of the Yellowstone Caldera.

While the earth has an abundance of evidence of a catastrophic event, the Bible limits it’s description to a bare minimum. In Genesis 7:10-12 it is written:

“¹⁰ And it came to pass after seven days that the waters of the flood were on the earth. ¹¹ In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. ¹² And the rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights.”

I have read studies on the seaworthiness of the ark, questioning how the ark would handle large waves. I am of the opinion the Lord who spoke to the Sea of Galilee and said “Peace, be still,” would have had no problem surrounding the ark with calm, undisturbed water at the time of the flood!

And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. Mark 4:39

The Waters Above the Firmament

Since the Bible’s mission is to focus on the fall of man and his restoration through the finished work of Jesus Christ, very little attention is given to unrelated matters such as the mechanics of the Genesis Flood. There has been, therefore, considerable discussion surrounding Genesis 1:6-7 where it is written:

“⁶ Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” ⁷ Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so.” 

I’m of the opinion that the waters above formed a water-vapor canopy which surrounded the entire earth and provided a greenhouse effect which would have equalized the temperatures all over the earth; I believe this accounts for the mild climate at both the North and South Poles which existed before the flood. The canopy also served as a shield from solar radiation which was instrumental in the extended lifetimes recorded in Genesis.

The Anomalous Warm Bubble Known as the Eocene

Contemporary scientific investigation has confirmed the climate at both poles was once almost semi-tropical. In their customary fashion, those devotees of evolution have followed their usual pattern and thrown millions of years into the mix in an effort to justify this “anomalous warm bubble known as the Eocene!”

(Anomalous is defined as: “Deviating from the regular arrangement, general rule, or usual method; abnormal.” Webster’s New World Dictionary)

In August of 2012, an article appeared in the Smithsonian Magazine, “Ancient Climate Change Meant Antarctica Was Once Covered with Palm Trees” “53 million years ago, Antarctica was so warm that palm trees lived along its shores.”

“Known for its expansive glaciers and the coldest temperatures on Earth, the Antarctica of today is a far cry from its tenure as a subtropical paradise 53 million years ago, replete with palm trees, summer highs near 25°C (77 F), and frost-free winters sitting near 10°C (50 F) despite the endless darkness.

Describing a recent study lead by Jörg Pross, Jason Palmer writes about the anomalous warm bubble known as the Eocene, noting that soaring atmospheric carbon dioxide levels drove the global average temperature to increase by 5°C.”

In another article from Reuters in October 2009:

“Palms grew in ice-free Arctic 50 million years ago: study

By Alister Doyle, Environment Correspondent, Reuters Life!

3 Min ReadOSLO (Reuters Life!) – Palms flourished in the Arctic during a brief sweltering period about 50 million years ago, according to a study on Sunday that hints at big gaps in scientific understanding of modern climate change.”

I suspect the climates at both poles was more temperate than at the equator and consequently was more heavily populated. It is likely there are many more interesting discoveries waiting to be made at both poles!

Next time, the flood and its results.