Biblical scientific foreknowledge
Biblical scientific foreknowledge is the remarkable content of the Bible showing a comprehension of scientific knowledge beyond anything that existed among atheistic sources at the time when the Bible was composed.
Atheistic organizations and scientists, particularly evolutionists, engage in liberal denial about how the Bible was correct long before science could discover the same truths.
Contents
Specific examples of foreknowledge
Health and Biology
Bloodletting hastens death
At the time of Jesus and for centuries afterward, arteries and veins were thought to be filled with air and blood was viewed as something to be used up rather than recirculate. Bloodletting -- the practice of intentionally draining blood from a patient -- was common medical practice through the time of George Washington, hastening his death prematurely for reasons not understood until years later.[1]
Most victims of crucifixion in Roman times languished on the cross for days. But the Bible describes how Pilate, who crucified many, was surprised at how quickly Jesus passed away. 2000 years later, scientific knowledge has advanced to understand that this was caused by his prior loss of blood during his scourging (being brutally whipped), a punishment typically given instead of crucifixion.
Homosexuality and disease
The Bible's prohibition against homosexuality predated knowledge about the many diseases and disorders associated with homosexuality, and thus showed scientific wisdom prescient for its time.
Eyesight
The description in the Gospel of Mark 8:24 for the sensation when one's eyesight is restored includes his perception of "trees walking." This perception was first confirmed nearly 2000 years later as physicians developed medical techniques for restoring eyesight.
Maximum Human Height
Atheists thought the size of Goliath in the Bible to be absurdly large (over nine feet tall), until Robert Wadlow grew to nearly 9 feet tall and was still growing when he died at a young age in 1940.
Leprosy and Contagion
At the time of Jesus, leprosy was thought to be highly contagious. Jesus rejected that prevailing view and welcomed lepers. Not until the 20th century was it realized that leprosy is very rarely contagious.
Cosmology
Spherical Earth
The Book of Isaiah establishes that the true shape of the earth is a sphere:
| “ | It is He who sits above the circle of the earth... - Isaiah 40:22 (KJV) | ” |
Here, the translation "circle" is inapt, as the Hebrew term entailed something spherical, not flat.
Note that Isaiah was written circa the 8th century BC, centuries before Greek philosophers, beginning with Pythagoras, theorized the earth was round.
Earth free floating in space
The book of Job states that God "hangs the earth on nothing." This presaged the fact that space is in fact empty, which wasn't known until the dawn of the 20th century, when ether theory was disproved. It also contrasts with pagan mythologies such as Atlas holding up the earth or the earth being supported by a giant turtle, as in ancient Hindu and native American myths.
Asteroids
The Revelation of Saint John notes,
| “ | And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed. Revelation 8:8-9 (KJV) | ” |
This accurately describes asteroids, essentially large chunks of rock lit on fire by the shock of entering the earth's atmosphere. They were not discovered until 1801, and their composition was not otherwise known until the 20th century.
Meteorology
Existence of the Jet Stream
Ecclesiastes 1:6 notes, "The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits." This described the jet stream long before its 19th-20th century discovery.
Zoology
Existence of dinosaurs
Dinosaur fossils were not discovered until the 19th century, but the book of Job describes enormous creatures called behemoth and leviathan, the descriptions being similar to dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures. It may also have referred to another similarly giant now-extinct species.[2]
Lions' killing methods
Until the 1970s naturalists believed that lions killed their prey by biting through the neck or by breaking the neck with a swat of a paw, while the Bible says that lions strangled their prey. (Nahum 2:12) It was not until the 1970s that it was discovered that the Bible was correct.
Engineering examples
Biblical scientific foreknowledge about these engineering developments has been proposed:[3]
| “ | automobiles (Joel 2:3-4); airplanes (Isaiah 31:5, also 40:31); submarines (Revelation 9:1-11); radio (Ecclesiastes 10:20); and television (Revelation 11:3-12) | ” |
Alleged absurdities and contradictions
Biblical scientific foreknowledge is an underpinning of creation science, and is widely credited by Christian scientists and apologists, including the organizations Creation Ministries International, Answers in Genesis, and CreationWiki.[4][5][6][7]
Atheists unsuccessfully attempt to discredit the Bible based on science. Here are some examples:
Bat as a bird
A favorite evolutionist canard is that Leviticus 11:13-19 labels the bat, a mammal, as a bird. But this is an obvious failure of translation, as the Hebrew term 'owph did not entail the "clade" of birds, but was a non-biological category referring to any winged creature, mammalian, avian, or insect. The KJV translation as "fowl" is simply incorrect.
Incorrect value of Pi
Two sections of the bible (1 Kings 7, 23-26, 2 Chronicles, 4, 2-5) appear to indicate that the correct value of Pi is 3, whereas Pi is in fact an irrational number, equalling approximately 3.14159. It has alleged by atheists, including Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins, that this value indicates the fallacious nature of scripture.[8] However, a simple explanation of the claimed "contradiction" is that the Bible records the ratio of the actual object which Hiram created, not that of a mathematical sphere. The claim that it was round all about does not equate to a claim that it was a perfect sphere, as atheists have claimed.[9]
Moreover, Pi, when expressed as one significant digit, is equal to 3.
See Also
| |||||||||||
External Links
References
- ↑ http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/37212.php
- ↑ http://www.answersingenesis.org/tj/v15/i2/behemoth.asp
- ↑ http://www.apologeticspress.org/articles/2191
- ↑ http://creationwiki.org/index.php/Bible_scientific_foreknowledge.
- ↑ Bible Scientific Foreknowledge
- ↑ http://creationontheweb.com/content/view/1718/
- ↑ http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v17/i1/medicine.asp
- ↑ The Richard Dawkins Foundation, Reply to a Christian, Sam Harris - [1]
- ↑ Theology, Volume 59, Issues 427-438, Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (Great Britain), London, 1956, p. 23
