ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
\nA number of organizations have aided my research in preparing and producing this book. To them I wish to express special appreciation and acknowledgments.
\nThe Creation Life Publishers of San Diego, California; Creation Ex Nihilo Magazine of Australia; Bible-Science Association of Minneapolis, Minnesota; Institute for Creation Research of El Cajon, California; The Genesis Institute of Rich-field, Minnesota; Creation Evidences Museum of Glen Rose, Texas; and Films for Christ of Mesa, Arizona.
\nThese organizations have been evangelical Christianity\u2019s foremost defenders of Creation Science. For their substantial contribution to my own life and ministry, I personally wish to thank the leadership and staff members of these organizations. I highly recommend their materials to those who wish to keep abreast of the events in the ongoing struggle between the forces of light and darkness regarding the creation\u2014evolution issue.
\nIntroduction
\nOnce Upon a Time \u2026
\nDid you know that at one time in the past the average year-round temperature at the North and South Poles never dipped below freezing? In fact, there were tropical forests with 90-foot fruit trees growing above what is now known as the Arctic Circle (see fig. 1), where only one-inch willows grow today.
\nYes, once there were broadleaf forests where now stand the great pyramids of Egypt surrounded by the barren Sahara Desert. Redwood forests once grew at the South Pole. Once in the past, there was neither summer nor winter as we presently experience on the Earth. Instead, there was a semi-tropical climate with mild temperatures and a delightful growing season all year long from Pole to Pole. (See fig. 2.)
\nFigure 1. THE ARCTIC CIRCLE<\/p>\n
Inside the Arctic Circle, an imaginary area encircled by a line drawn approximately 66\u00bd\u00b0 north of the equator, almost nothing grows today due to the sub-zero weather existing most of the year. Yet 90-foot fruit trees once grew in this now-frigid zone.
\nOnce Upon a Giant \u2026
\nAnother of the marvels of the ancient world was the surprisingly large size of its living creatures. Giant lizards, which we call dinosaurs, commonly weighed over 40 tons. Have you ever wondered why these animals once flourished, yet now are extinct? Fossils reveal mammals to have been 30\u201340% greater in length or height than their descendants alive today. Crocodiles, for instance, grew to 50 feet in length, and reptilian-like birds had wingspans of over 50 feet from wing tip to wing tip. Insects grew to an enormous size as well: fossilized cockroaches over a foot in length have been found.
\nIn that era, everything grew to jumbo size-including man. The Bible tells us in numerous places that there were giant men in the past (Gen. 6:4). The records in the rocks also reveal giants walked this Earth in the distant past. Not only have their 25-inch footprints been discovered in rock formations, but numerous accounts of giants have been recorded down through the ages. Could Adam have been as much as 16 feet tall? There is substantial evidence indicating that he may have been a giant by our standards.
\nOnce Upon a Methuselah \u2026
\nNot only did man once grow much larger, he lived longer as well. The Bible reveals that men once averaged a life span of just under 1,000 years. What possible explanation could there be for such longevity? It seems significant that after Noah\u2019s Flood, man\u2019s life span began to decline (Gen. 11), and all life forms began to decrease in size.
\nClues have been found to some unusual characteristics of the original environment God created. Because of these keys to the past, scientists are now able to grow enormous vegetables. Tomato plants, for instance, can yield thousands of tomatoes from one plant stalk. Such experiments with plants reveal the possibility that life on the Earth once enjoyed additional strength, vitality, size and longevity.
\nFigure 2. THE WORLD THAT WAS<\/p>\n
The world was much different in the past: there were giants walking the Earth, pyramids around the world, forests in Antarctica and fruit trees in Siberia. People lived hundreds of years. No snow or rain fell anywhere. A worldwide paradise existed from pole to pole.
\nOnce Upon a Beauty Contest \u2026
\nHave you ever heard of a woman competing in a beauty contest at the age of 60? Not unless it was a senior citizen pageant. However, we read about a woman in scripture who was very attractive at the age of 80. How could this be unless things were very different then?
\nOnce Upon a Starry Night \u2026
\nIn this volume we will attempt to examine all these topics and more. We will scrutinize the roots of astrology and the first form of religious rebellion against God, which centered on star worship and the Tower of Babel. We shall also consider evidence that may explain Noah\u2019s uncharacteristic drunkenness.
\nOnce Upon a Time in the Near Future \u2026
\nFinally, we shall consider prophetic scriptures which suggest a future day in which the Earth may again support life in such a manner as to induce an increased life span and size for its plants, animals and mankind. In that day, the Earth may again experience an environment like the one Adam and Eve knew in the Garden of Eden.
\nChapter One
\nThe World That Was
\nThe Day the Earth Was White
\nIf man had landed on the moon around 3500 B.C., he would have found the Earth looking differently than it does in photographs taken by modern-day astronauts. Instead of a predominantly blue Earth with some patches of green and brown, he would have seen a whitish planet. The ivory color would not indicate an ice age, but rather, a rich canopy of moisture.
\nBefore the biblical Flood of Noah, this planet was vastly different from today\u2019s Earth. Creation scientists believe one major difference involved the Earth\u2019s atmosphere. It contained a tremendous amount of water vapor, much more than at present. Before the Flood, much of the Earth\u2019s water from the oceans was stored in a great canopy of water vapor that surrounded the Earth. This was not merely a heavy cloud cover, like that of a present-day massive storm system which might extend upward more than 10 miles into the atmosphere. This was a covering of water molecules in the form of ice crystals. Mathematical calculations have estimated the base of the pre-Flood canopy at 20 to 25 miles above the Earth. The thickness of the canopy would have been around 5 to 6 miles. (See fig. 3.)
\nFigure 3. THE CANOPIED EARTH<\/p>\n
The Bible states that at the time of creation the Earth was surrounded by a covering of water. This cutaway illustrates how the world may have looked if viewed from outer space.
\nThis canopy would explain all kinds of puzzling mysteries in the fossil record and geologic column (layers of rock): the huge amounts of fossilized vegetation under both polar caps; plants and animals in the fossil record being much larger than they are today; and the legends from many cultures about the people who lived to an advanced age. A vapor canopy also would cause radiometric dating methods (procedures which evolutionists heavily rely upon to support their theory) to indicate very great ages when, in fact, the \u201ctrue\u201d age would only be a few thousand years.
\nThe canopy theory is supported by several sources:
\n1. The Bible: various scriptures either directly or indirectly support the theory.
\n2. Ancient traditions: historical accounts are numerous among the earliest records of man.
\n3. Science: there are many areas of science that correlate with the theory.
\nTo begin, we shall examine several verses in scripture that will introduce us to this amazing concept of a different world that existed once upon a time.
\nThe Creation of the Canopy
\nAnd God said, \u201cLet there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water.\u201d So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. God called the expanse \u201csky.\u201d And there was evening, and there was morning\u2014the second day (Gen. 1:6\u20138 NIV).
\nWe are told that an expanse, or firmament, divided a layer of water which was above from a layer of water below. (See fig. 4.) Another way of stating these verses would be, \u201cLet there be a sky (A) in the midst of water (B & C). Let the sky (A) separate the waters (B) from the waters (C). So God made the sky (A) and separated the ocean waters (B) on the Earth, which were under the sky (A) from the canopy waters (C) that were above the sky.\u201d
\nFigure 4. GENESIS 1:6\u20138<\/p>\n
The separation of the \u201cwaters above\u201d the firmament from the \u201cwaters below\u201d is illustrated in this sectional view of the canopied Earth.
\nWhat are the \u201cwaters above\u201d? Is it possible that the \u201cwaters above\u201d (C) extended beyond the Earth\u2019s atmosphere (A)? Was there a thick blanket of moisture surrounding the Earth in the form of a canopy (C)?
\nIf the waters mentioned in Genesis 1:2 completely covered the Earth, \u201cthe face of the waters\u201d may have been responsible for creating a very hot and steamy atmosphere\u2014truly making an utterly uninhabitable \u201cchaos.\u201d This may have been the condition of the Earth as the \u201cSpirit of God began to move over the face of the waters\u201d on day one of creation, which we read about in the second verse of Genesis.
\nAfter God created light (Gen. 1:3), God made a distinction between the waters on the Earth (B) and the waters above the Earth (C) by raising the land (possibly continents) and forcing the oceans into their appointed places. Thus, Genesis 2:6 is the first evidence for a vapor canopy. Without a perception of this canopy, Bible students will not be able to understand fully the significance of God\u2019s second day\u2019s work (Gen. 1:6\u20138).
\nIt is interesting to note that the second day of creation is the only creation day in which God did not say that it was good; yet it was undoubtedly magnificent. So why didn\u2019t He pronounce it to be good? It appears that on day two God did not create; He simply used what He had already created on day one. On the rest of the creation days He brought into existence that which did not come from any previously existing matter or other life forms.
\nThe First Irrigation System
\nThe second chapter of Genesis provides further support for the canopy theory:
\nNo shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth and no plant of the field had yet sprung up; the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no man to work the ground, but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground (Gen. 2:5, 6 NIV).
\nThe phrase \u201cbut streams came up from the Earth and watered the whole surface of the ground\u201d also may be translated \u201ca mist went up from the Earth and watered the surface of the ground.\u201d When we think of streams we usually envision creeks or small rivers, but this word also could refer to streams of rising water vapor. (See fig. 5.) The word \u201cmist\u201d is used rather than \u201cstreams\u201d in the King James Version and the Revised Standard Version.
\nIn the pre-Flood world, there was no rain (Gen. 2:5). The ground was watered by a daily mist, or dew, and by a system of rivers fed by artesian springs emerging from the \u201cgreat deep,\u201d a vast system of underground pressurized reservoirs.
\nFigure 5. THE PRE-FLOOD WORLDWIDE WATERING SYSTEM<\/p>\n
In the pre-Flood world, no rain fell. The ground was watered by a daily mist, or dew, and the system of rivers fed by artesian springs.
\nAfter the great Flood, the whole world was a wilderness, and there were no men to irrigate or till the ground. The pre-Flood \u201cwaters above the firmament\u201d and the \u201cgreat deep\u201d had been dissipated at the Flood; so God had to devise a new system for watering the Earth. This He accomplished by activating a marvelous mechanism\u2014the hydrologic cycle. (See fig. 6.)
\nFigure 6. THE POST-FLOOD WORLDWIDE WATERING SYSTEM<\/p>\n
The Earth\u2019s water-vapor cycle (evaporation, condensation, precipitation, transpiration) came into existence after the Flood. God activated this marvelous natural engine to water the Earth when the original system became inoperative\u2014at the canopy\u2019s collapse.
\nResearch has determined that the best method for watering plants is a slow and continuous dripping or mist because this allows maximum water absorption. One of the world\u2019s leading nations in agriculture and irrigation research, Israel, has implemented the slow drip process of irrigating fields. Israel has discovered this method to be the most effective for maximum growth and production, and minimum evaporation in a hot and semiarid environment. Commercial greenhouses are installing these expensive but extremely advantageous watering systems to enhance the growth and production yield of their foliage.
\nSuch a system reveals the wisdom of God in designing the pre-Flood world with the same method of irrigation science stumbled onto six millenniums later.
\nChapter Two
\nThe Greenhouse Effect
\nWhat Is the Greenhouse Effect?
\nAfter creation was completed, the vapor canopy was in full operation. This vapor canopy produced an atmosphere considerably different from our present-day atmosphere. It produced a greenhouse effect. (See fig. 7.)
\nFigure 7. THE CANOPIED EARTH: A GREENHOUSE<\/p>\n
In the pre-Flood era, heat generated by the sun became trapped under the canopy, producing a greenhouse effect.
\nThe greenhouse effect derives its name from the discovery that air trapped inside a greenhouse is warmer than air outside. (See fig. 8.) Sun rays (known as shortwave radiation-A) pass through the glass of a greenhouse and are absorbed by the plants inside. After absorbing the sun\u2019s rays, the plants then release the heat back into the air (known as long wave radiation-B). This long wave radiation becomes trapped inside the greenhouse, since it cannot be easily transmitted through the glass. Consequently, the heat is trapped, and the temperature in the greenhouse rises. This temperature\u2014as well as the humidity\u2014can be maintained, even when winter temperatures dip below freezing. Such natural heating can reduce the cost of conventional heating supplied by furnaces.
\nFigure 8. THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT<\/p>\n
The greenhouse effect was caused by shortwave radiation (A) emitted from the sun, which passed through the vapor canopy and was radiated back from Earth\u2019s surface as longwave radiation (B). These waves became trapped inside the canopy, creating conditions similar to those in a greenhouse.
\nThe Greenhouse Automobile: An Example of the Greenhouse Effect
\nToday one can experience the greenhouse effect on a cloudless day upon getting into a vehicle which has been tightly shut. (See fig. 9.) The temperature inside the car will be much higher than that on the outside, because the heat becomes trapped in the tightly-sealed automobile. On a hot day, a car can literally become a sauna if the windows remain closed. The same situation occurs, to a very limited degree, within our present atmosphere. If it were not for this effect, the surface of the Earth would become like the moon\u2014where temperatures rise to boiling during the day and dip to under \u2212150\u00b0 F. during the night.
\nFigure 9. THE GREENHOUSE AUTOMOBILE<\/p>\n
The temperature inside a closed car rises much higher than that of the air outside. This illustrates the greenhouse effect.
\nBefore the Flood, the greenhouse effect was greatly magnified. Sun rays easily passed through the vapor canopy and heated the atmosphere; the heat became trapped, causing the air to be considerably warmer the world over, with a much more uniform temperature from Pole to Pole.
\nUniform Temperature from Pole to Pole
\nToday the average annual temperature at the equator is 82\u00b0 F. But before the Flood, the year-round average daily temperature would have been slightly higher; it would have averaged about 88\u00b0 F. But there would have been a significant temperature difference at the poles, where today the annual daily temperature averages a freezing \u22124\u00b0 F. Before the Flood, the average temperature would have hovered somewhere near a cool 45\u00b0 F., which is quite livable\u2014especially since there would have been virtually no wind chill factor.
\nThe pre-Flood calculated air temperature at sea level would have been:
\nLatitude
\nPre-Flood Av.Temp.
\nToday Av.Temp.
\nLocation
\nEquator
\n88\u00baF.
\n82\u00baF.
\nAmazon River
\n20
\n84\u00ba
\n77\u00ba
\nHawaii
\n40
\n73\u00ba
\n61\u00ba
\nNew York City
\n60
\n57\u00ba
\n39\u00ba
\nAnchorage, Alaska
\n80
\n48\u00ba
\n3\u00ba
\nNorthern Canada
\nPoles
\n45\u00ba
\n\u22124\u00ba
\nArctic
\n(See fig. 10)
\nFigure 10. PRE-FLOOD, POST-FLOOD ANNUAL TEMPERATURES<\/p>\n
The variations in temperature between the pre-Flood and the post-Flood worlds are depicted above.
\nThe Conceivability of a Canopy
\nIs it conceivable that much of the water now present in the oceans was, before the Flood, stored in a great vapor canopy surrounding the Earth? A canopy of vapor around a planet is not outside the realm of natural possibility, for such a canopy presently surrounds the planet Venus.
\nVenus is often called Earth\u2019s twin, but extensive research over the past 15 years has shown it is nothing like Earth. Shrouded in thick sulfuric acid clouds and high-speed upper atmospheric winds, the surface is a hot, dry, poisonous place.
\nIn the spring of 1979, NASA reported that Pioneer 2 discovered the intense Venus heat can be explained by a massive greenhouse mechanism. Scientists were surprised to find that the Venus atmosphere acts as a very strong heat trap.
\nThough similar in size and mass to Earth, Venus is the victim of a runaway greenhouse effect. (See fig. 11.) Carbon dioxide, which is 96% of the Venusian atmosphere, has built up in the environment, trapping heat and driving surface temperatures as high as 900\u00b0 F. The oven in your kitchen can reach as high as 550\u00b0 F. If it is self-cleaning, it can become several hundred degrees hotter\u2014hot enough to vaporize the baked-on grit. Opening the oven door at this temperature would result in severe bums, which is why self-cleaning ovens have safety locks preventing their being opened during cleaning operations. All space probes sent to investigate Venus have experienced this burn factor. It seems that the Venusian planet has a special recipe for baking alien spacecraft. Although designed to withstand extreme heat and pressure, the probes \u201cgive up the ghost\u201d shortly after entering the planet\u2019s atmosphere.
\nFigure 11. EARTH\u2019S CANOPIED SISTER PLANET<\/p>\n
The idea of the Earth once possessing a canopy is not only reasonable but very possible. One of the Earth\u2019s neighboring planets, Venus, presently possesses a canopy generating a massive, hot, \u201cgreenhouse\u201d atmosphere.
\nDue to the canopy, the surface of Venus is hidden from the direct rays of the sun. The base of the canopy is about 20 miles above the planet\u2019s surface. The temperatures at the poles of Venus are virtually the same as those at its equator.
\nVoyager I and II space probes have sent back photographs and technical data. It has now been learned that one of Saturn\u2019s moons, Titan, also has a canopy of gases completely surrounding it. (See fig. 12.) Thus the water vapor canopy theory is not unrealistic.
\nFigure 12. THE CANOPIED TITAN<\/p>\n
Space exploration has revealed that one of Saturn\u2019s moons, Titan, has a canopy surrounding it. Recent photographs received from the Voyager space probe show the Titan surface hidden by a canopy.
\nThe base of Earth\u2019s pre-Flood canopy has been calculated at 20\u201325 miles above the planet\u2019s surface. The canopy\u2019s thickness would have been 5\u20136 miles. (See fig. 13.)
\nFigure 13. THE CANOPY DIMENSIONS<\/p>\n
Earth\u2019s pre-Flood canopy would have been approximately 25 miles above its surface and about 5 miles thick.
\nChapter Three
\nScientific Evidence for a Canopy
\nPlant Life
\nWhen we think of rain forests, we think of the Amazon of South America or the Congo in Africa or some exotic isle of the Pacific. No one would think of Egypt, Siberia\u2014or even Denver, Colorado. But the fossil record reveals that these places were once covered with thick forests.
\nThe water vapor canopy would have provided uniform temperature worldwide, which, in turn, would have resulted in lush vegetation the world over. This vegetation would have been abundant and subtropical in nature, even at the poles; and this is exactly what the testimony of the rocks reveals.
\nFossils show us that the Earth was once covered with lush vegetation. Near Cairo, Egypt, broadleaf forests are entombed and petrified, indicating that at one time the climate was warm and humid. Today, Cairo\u2019s average annual rainfall is three to four inches. (See fig. 14.)
\nFigure 14. THE SAHARA FOREST<\/p>\n
Fossilized trees near Cairo, Egypt, reveal that the area which is now the Sahara Desert was once covered with broadleaf forests. The trees stood over 60 feet high. Today, the area receives only a couple of inches of rain per year. Irrigation is an absolute for anything to grow.
\nThere is abundant evidence that the polar regions of the Earth were once much warmer. Fruit trees 90 feet tall\u2014with ripe fruit and green leaves still on their branches\u2014have been found in the frozen terrain of the New Siberian Islands, situated north of the Soviet Union and within the Arctic Circle. The remains of tropical forests, gigantic fruit trees, as well as the remains of mammoths and other mammals have been discovered scattered throughout these islands.
\nObviously, this kind of life does not exist in that part of the world today. The only tree now growing there is the one-inch willow. Palm tree fossils have been unearthed in northwest Canada and in Alaska. Large fossilized leaves of tropical plants were found 250 miles from the South Pole. A petrified forest was discovered 100 miles from the South Pole. Palm leaves were uncovered in strata 800 miles from the North Pole in Greenland, indicating the previous existence of a tropical or subtropical climate. The rocks reveal fossilized trees such as the oak, myrtle, laurel, walnut, palm, banana, magnolia, beech, grapevine, sequoia, and others were in abundance around the world\u2014even in polar regions and Siberia. (See fig. 15.) Redwood forests buried under massive ice deposits have been unearthed at the south polar region.
\nFigure 15. THE POLAR TREES OF THE PAST<\/p>\n
These semi-tropical trees once thrived in all parts of the world\u2014even in presently frigid areas, such as Siberia and the polar regions\u2014indicating that a much warmer climate existed globally.
\nThe group of Spitsbergen Islands, north of Norway and within the Arctic Circle, is another area where subtropical life has been found preserved. Palm tree leaves 10\u201312 feet in length have been found in a fossilized condition, as well as a variety of fossilized subtropical marine life. In Africa\u2019s Sahara Desert, 60-foot trees have been found fossilized. Fossils found in an arid and barren wilderness \u201cdown under\u201d reveal that the harsh, red sands of Australia\u2019s inland desert were once covered with a lush, green rain forest.
\nRecently, excavators were making way for Denver, Colorado\u2019s new international airport when they came upon the remains of a fossilized rain forest. Denver\u2019s climate and annual precipitation could never accommodate a rain forest today. In the past, conditions were quite different in the Mile High City.
\nAnimal Life
\nCrocodiles were once abundant in New Jersey and England. Other fossilized animals\u2014such as the lion, tiger, elephant, camel and rhinoceros\u2014have also been found in abundance around the world, and not only in the isolated areas of the world where they live today.
\nNumerous finds in Alaska indicate life in that area was previously much different from what it is today. National Geographic (March 1972) has an interesting article about the Alaskan tundra. In this report, the reader is told of the remains of gigantic camels, lions, horses, mammoths, tigers, sloths and bison found frozen in layers of ice and mud. (See fig. 16.) These animals do not exist in this part of the world today, yet the evidence reveals they did in the past.
\nFigure 16. THE POLAR ANIMALS OF THE PAST<\/p>\n
Animals such as camels, lions, tigers, sloths, etc. have been uncovered in the now frozen areas of the world. Certainly the climate in these polar regions was once much different from what it is today.
\nCoral reefs\u2014formed by sea creatures who can live only in waters at least 70\u00b0 F.\u2014have been found fossilized under the North Pole, as well as in the continent of Antarctica.
\nIn 1960, a party of geologists found 30-inch-wide dinosaur tracks only 800 miles from the North Pole. Yet scientists believe dinosaurs were cold-blooded. They could not have survived in the frigid climate far above the Arctic Circle. To make things more perplexing, the footprints led straight up the side of a towering cliff. (See fig. 17.) Somehow the gigantic slab on which the tracks were imbedded was turned on its side. The cause of this puzzling geological formation can be discovered in Genesis 7, which records a worldwide catastrophic event that totally destroyed the face of the Earth.
\nFigure 17. DID DINOSAURS WALK UP WALLS?<\/p>\n
Fossils of cold-blooded dinosaurs have been found in regions of the world that are now frozen year-round. The existence of these creatures in such a climate today is impossible; therefore, the areas must have had a much different climate in the past. Dinosaur footprints leading up the side of a towering cliff have been discovered. How did they get there?
\nDinosaurs, which creationists believe existed both before and after the Flood could have survived only with an abundant amount of plant life. Full-grown dinosaurs devoured hundreds and even thousands of pounds of vegetation daily.
\nResearch has shown that it can take 10\u201314 feet of plant life remains to produce a seam of coal one foot thick. There are seams of coal in North America 13,000 feet thick. (See fig. 18.) In other words, there was once a tremendous amount of foliage on the Earth. A subtropical paradise from pole to pole would produce enormous amounts of vegetation. During the 1600 years between the week of creation and the beginning of the Flood, the worldwide, year-round growing season went undisturbed. The world was covered with a lush, thick carpet of vegetation.
\nFigure 18. COAL PRODUCTION BY NATURE<\/p>\n
It can take 10\u201314 feet of plant remains to produce a seam of coal 1 foot thick. In North America, there are mountains of coal 13,000 feet high. An abundance of foliage must have existed sometime in the past. A canopied Earth in the pre-Flood world would have produced such an environment.
\nContinental Drift
\nThe evidence of warm polar regions is so extensive that the theory of continental drift was enlarged upon by evolutionary geologists to explain the presence of fossilized tropical vegetation at the poles. The evolutionary continental drift theory suggests that at one time\u2014hundreds of millions of years ago\u2014all of the continents were one \u201csuper continent\u201d called Pangaea (see fig. 19), and that this landmass broke apart and the pieces slowly drifted to their current locations today. (See fig. 20.)
\nFigure 19. PANGAEA, THE \u201cSUPER CONTINENT\u201d<\/p>\n
The theory of continental drift suggests that the continents were once one \u201csuper continent,\u201d which scientists call Pangaea.
\nFigure 20. CONTINENTAL DRIFT<\/p>\n
The continental drift theory maintains that the plates upon which the continents of the world rest are slowly moving. This theory suggests that the original \u201csuper continent\u201d broke apart. Each section (a new continent) slowly drifted to its current location.
\nThe vapor canopy theory, on the other hand, definitely would explain tropical vegetation at the poles without the need for the continental drift theory. But if the continents were indeed once a single landmass and did break apart, this may concur with certain passages in the Bible such as Genesis 10:25:
\nTwo sons were born to Eber: One was named Peleg, because in his time the earth was divided \u2026 (NIV).
\nOne fact is certain: the movement of the continents to their present locations did not take hundreds of millions of years, as evolutionists declare, but occurred rather recently\u2014since the time of the Flood\u2014and the movements happened quickly. The continental drift theory suggests that hundreds of millions of years were involved in the movement of the continents. It was concocted by evolutionists for a single reason: to replace any theory associated with a supernatural Creator. In their minds, God had no part in the events of creation. This leaves only one other alternative: to find a naturalistic and materialistic explanation for the world\u2019s beginnings. The refusal to believe in a Creator leads to error and blindness. There is no meaningful explanation for creation except God. The apostle Paul admonishes Christians to avoid endless arguments and to pursue godliness:
\nTimothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge (1 Tim. 6:20 NIV).
\nAvoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly (2 Tim. 2:16 NIV).
\nDon\u2019t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels (2 Tim. 2:23 NIV).
\nBut you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness (1 Tim. 6:11 NIV).
\nChapter Four
\nHistorical Evidence for a Canopy
\nCanopy Legends
\nThe idea of a canopy of water vapor surrounding the globe is supported by many historical accounts. These reports, which have been passed on from generation to generation, have since been gathered and collected from various places around the world. (See fig. 21.)
\nFigure 21. ATLAS OF CANOPY LEGENDS<\/p>\n
Legends of a canopied world have been collected from around the globe.
\nInterwoven in these accounts are legends and ancient myths that make interpretation very difficult. It cannot be suggested that all the details of these accounts are accurate. But a thread of truth seems to run in them, substantiated by similar details in each. Each account refers to a celestial body of water.
\nThere are numerous legends of a flood and a heavenly shield from Eastern Asia. For example, the Koran of Burma states that the water of a great flood came down from the \u201ccelestial vault.\u201d In the Babylonian creation account, there are a number of references to a celestial ocean in the heavenlies. The Buddhist account of creation involves a vague reference to a \u201ccreative cloud\u201d out from which poured waters that began to rotate in a \u201cwater cycle.\u201d In ancient Egypt, the heavens were regarded as an ocean paralleled with that on Earth. (See fig. 22.) The mythology of Greece includes a heavenly ocean; in fact, the parallel between the Greek and the biblical account is close enough to suggest a common source.
\nFigure 22. THE EGYPTIAN MYTH OF A HEAVENLY OCEAN<\/p>\n
An Egyptian legend states that a sacred boat carried the sun god Ra across the heavenly ocean each day.
\nSource for Canopy Legends: Noah
\nNoah and his children would have been the ones to pass on the record of such a world to their descendants. Not only was Noah still living during Abraham\u2019s life, but Noah\u2019s son, Shem, outlived Abraham by 35 years\u2014meaning that Shem was alive during the lives of Abraham\u2019s son, Isaac, and Abraham\u2019s grandson, Jacob. The description of the pre-Flood world could have been shared by an eyewitness for hundreds of years after the Flood\u2014and even long after the Tower of Babel was constructed.
\nIndia also has religious literature filled with references to a water heaven, which could possibly be interpreted as a liquid ocean. In the Persian sacred book, the Zend-Avesta, a flood legend is told: during the 900 years of the first man\u2019s life, there was neither cold nor hot wind nor disease nor death. The Polynesian Islands of the South Pacific are rich in traditions that speak of a flood with a concept of a water heaven. In the oldest known civilization, ancient Sumer, we also find accounts of the water heaven. Their creation description also recounts the ancient theme of the separation of the water heaven from the Earth.
\nThe children of Noah were eyewitnesses of the canopy. They recounted the record to their descendants, who were dispersed at the Tower of Babel into the various ethnic groups. (See fig. 23.) These diverse cultural groupings eventually spread throughout the world, taking with them the stories and traditions of the past and passing them on to each succeeding generation. Except for the biblical account, the accuracy of the canopy record became interwoven with myths and legends as time passed. Even as late as A.D. 400, one of the early church fathers and translator of the Latin Vulgate, Jerome, described a canopy which he believed once existed. He came to this conclusion after researching earlier historical accounts to which he had access. Thus, we have the testimony of history confirming the biblical account of a world vastly different from the one in which we now live.
\nFigure 23. THE TOWER OF BABEL<\/p>\n
The Earth\u2019s people were dispersed from the Tower of Babel. They carried with them stories that Noah and his children had passed on to them about the Flood and the pre-Flood world.
\nPeter, Job and the Canopy
\nAlthough Peter and Job lived after the Flood and the collapse of the canopy, their inspired books give additional support that may also shed light on the canopy.
\nBut they deliberately forget that long ago by God\u2019s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and with water (2 Pet. 3:5 NIV).
\nIn verse 6, Peter spoke of the heavens and the Earth of old which were destroyed by the Flood. He then speaks of the heavens and Earth of this era, which are preserved for a fiery judgment. It appears that Peter was making a distinction between the heavens and Earth of old and the present ones.
\nPeter\u2019s choice of the genitive plural in the Greek \u201cdihon,\u201d translated \u201cwhich\u201d in verses 5 and 6 of 2 Peter 3, shows his understanding and insight of the conditions before the Flood. It also confirms the two separate \u201cwaters,\u201d above and below:
\n\u2026 earth \u2026 formed out of water and by means of water, Through which the world that then [existed] was deluged with water and perished (2 Pet. 3:5, 6 AMP).
\nWe also find an intriguing statement made by Job, who many scholars believed was a contemporary of Noah\u2019s children.
\nHe wraps up the waters in his clouds, yet the clouds do not burst under their weight (Job 26:8 NIV).
\nInsight from \u201cMabbul\u201d
\n\u201cMabbul,\u201d a Hebrew word found in scripture, gives additional and valuable insight to the nature of the Flood and the pre-Flood canopy.
\nAlthough \u201cmabbul\u201d has been translated in English as \u201cflood\u201d in Genesis 6 and 7, it has an additional meaning of \u201cinundation,\u201d or even \u201cdestruction from above.\u201d This interpretation helps us to better understand the cause of the Flood, as well as the nature of the global arrangement at the time of creation.
\n\u201cMabbul,\u201d then, is the specific term for \u201cthe waters above.\u201d Our English versions of the Bible may do better to translate it as \u201cthe canopy.\u201d The word is found 13 times in the Old Testament and is commonly translated as \u201cflood,\u201d which doesn\u2019t provide a complete revelation of the word\u2019s meaning.
\nThe Flood not only involved the death of man and beast on Earth, but it also involved destruction in the heavens. (See fig. 24.) The \u201cwaters above\u201d (canopy\u2014mabbul)\u2014or the heavenly ocean\u2014broke forth upon the Earth below, causing a catastrophe both in the heavens and on the Earth. This interpretation harmonizes well with the many ancient traditions previously mentioned.
\nFigure 24. THE CATASTROPHIC FLOOD<\/p>\n
The catastrophic nature of the Flood is almost beyond human comprehension. It involved not only the death of man and beast, but also the disintegration of the huge canopy.
\nChapter Five
\nA World Without Rain, Wind, Snow, Seasons or Rainbows
\nWorld Without Rain
\nCan you imagine a world without rain? (See fig. 25.) Maybe you live in a part of the world where it doesn\u2019t rain much. If this is true, then there is a good chance that about the only thing that survives without some form of irrigation is sagebrush or cactus. Most of my life I\u2019ve lived in Dallas, Texas, where it rains 30\u201340 inches annually. Although the sun shines nearly every day, most rain comes in the form of \u201cgully washers\u201d (Texan for downpour), which can dump 5\u201310 inches in a matter of an hour or two.
\nFigure 25. THE RAINLESS EARTH<\/p>\n
Some parts of the world average an inch or more rain a day\u2014over 400 inches per year. However, scripture indicates that planet Earth once had no rain\u2014and yet it wasn\u2019t a desert, but rather, a well watered world:
\nAnd no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth and no plant of the field had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no man to work the ground, but streams (of mist or water vapor) came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground (Gen. 2:5, 6 NIV).
\nAs we have already noted in chapter one of this book, this passage of scripture states that rain had not yet fallen on the Earth; a mist or streams of mist watered this planet.
\nIn Hebrews 11:7 we are told Noah was \u201cwarned by God about things not yet seen\u201d (NAS). Could it have been rain? This passage, as well as Genesis 2:5\u20136, add additional weight to the credibility of a pre-Flood vapor canopy.
\nWorld Without Wind
\nThe pre-Flood world did not have wind, although there would have been light breezes. (See fig. 26.) This is what one would expect if a vapor canopy enveloped the Earth. Why was there no wind? Because there was no extreme temperature variation, which is caused by the uneven heating of the Earth when sun rays directly strike its surface. The constant changing of air pressure is caused by the heating of the sun during the day and the cooling effects caused by the loss of heat into the atmosphere and heavens each night. The circulation of the winds continually seeks to bring a balance between the high and low areas of pressure caused primarily by the direct heating of the sun. (See fig. 27.)
\nFigure 26. THE WINDLESS EARTH<\/p>\n
Figure 27. NATURE\u2019S WIND MACHINE<\/p>\n
Today, winds continually circulate, seeking to bring balance between high and low areas of pressure, caused primarily by the direct heating of the sun. The canopy precluded such variations in atmospheric pressure.
\nTexans are accustomed to extremes in temperature\u2014a variation of 0\u00b0 F. during winter to 120\u00b0 F. in mid-summer. It can be 80\u00b0 F., sunny and clear with a warm breeze out of the south in the morning; and by mid-afternoon a blast of arctic air from the north may cause temperatures to dip well below freezing, bringing sleet and ice and a blistering wind. But before Noah\u2019s Flood, there were no such temperature variations. Below the canopy, a stable atmosphere produced a constant and uniform temperature.
\nSince there was no wind, there was consequently no great quantity of water evaporation. No rain fell, because rain is caused by the sun, the wind and water evaporation.
\nThe windless environment under the canopy made possible the formation of dew. Dew forms when wind is absent and the air is moist and cool. This often happens at night in our present world, whereupon the following morning in the sunlight the grass and plants glisten with dew. But as the sun rises and the wind begins to blow, the droplets of water quickly evaporate.
\nWorld Without Rainbows
\nRainbows have always held a strange fascination for mankind. (See fig. 28.) They are so intriguing, and lovely to behold\u2014yet so fleeting they almost seem mystical in nature. Today the \u201cNew Age\u201d movement (a new name for an age-old plot that originated in the Garden and is known as \u201cwould you like to be as gods?\u201d) has appropriated the rainbow as a logo for its humanistic pantheism\u2014a spin-off of Hinduism. This appropriation by Satan and his children is to be expected. He covets anything God has created since he has no creative power of his own. We read about a rainbow encircling the throne of the King of the Universe\u2014Christ Jesus:
\nAnd the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and camelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne (Rev. 4:3 NIV).
\nFigure 28. WORLD WITHOUT RAINBOWS<\/p>\n
We now will consider one of the most powerful and convincing passages supporting the pre-Flood canopy. From this text, we learn rainbows were not in existence under the pre-Flood canopy.
\nAnd God said, \u2026 \u201cI 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. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth\u201d (Gen. 9:12\u201316 NIV).
\nThe rainbow was to be a reminder that God would never again send a worldwide flood. What causes a rainbow? It is a result of bending light rays through water droplets. (See fig. 29.) The curving causes the color bands of light to separate, so that various colors of white light become visible. When all the shades of light are mixed, they produce the \u201ccolor\u201d white. (See fig. 30.)
\nFigure 29. BENDING LIGHT<\/p>\n
Rainbows result as rays of light pass through a prism and are bent, separating the light into bands of color. Suspended water droplets act as a prism. When sunlight shines into a veil of rain, it is refracted and reflected by millions of droplets to form an arc of colors\u2014a rainbow.
\nFigure 30. RAINBOWS OCCUR ONLY AT 42 DEGREES<\/p>\n
An observer sees a rainbow when he is at an angle of about 42\u00b0 from the path of the sun\u2019s direct rays.
\nGenesis 7:11 states the windows of heaven were opened, and the sky apparently was visible for the first time. It isn\u2019t until Genesis 15:17 that sunlight is directly mentioned for the first time, and this is after the Flood. Even in Genesis 1, the words \u201csun\u201d and \u201cmoon\u201d are not mentioned: a Hebrew word meaning illumination is used. It isn\u2019t that the sun and moon were not in existence; they simply were not as visible as they are at present.
\nWith the collapse of the canopy at the time of the Flood, the sun was visible for the first time on the Earth. It now became possible for the rainbow to form and become perceptible. We must remember the purpose of the rainbow was to be a sign to Noah and to mankind that God would keep His covenant never to destroy mankind from the face of the Earth by a flood. If the sun were previously visible, rainbows could have been seen before the Flood. (See fig. 31.) Even if rain had not fallen on the Earth, it would have been quite possible to see a rainbow from the spray of a rushing waterfall, for example.
\nFigure 31. THE FIRST RAINBOW<\/p>\n
With the collapse of the canopy at the time of the Flood, direct sunlight was visible for the first time on the Earth. Noah and his family could then see the first rainbow, which was a sign of God\u2019s promise never again to destroy all life by a flood.
\nSome time ago our family visited the majestic Niagara Falls, which borders Canada and the United States. We rode on a boat right to the base of the falls. The powerful winds generated by the rushing water caused the spray to rise high above the falls. As a result, there was a beautiful full rainbow in the mist over the falls. (See fig. 32.) This happens even on a clear day without a cloud in the sky.
\nFigure 32. RAINBOWS WITHOUT RAIN<\/p>\n
Many natural occurrences of rainbows are not produced by rain but by a spray or mist, such as by a waterfall or hot spring geyser.
\nMany other natural occurrences can cause the appearance of a rainbow. Old Faithful, a geyser in Wyoming\u2019s Yellowstone National Park, is another example of nature\u2019s producing prismatic effects on a cloud of water vapor. A rainbow can be seen on a clear day as a result of direct sunlight penetrating the spray of water that gushes from the geyser. In Hawaii, it is possible to witness a rainbow caused by the ocean surf pounding on the lava rocks; sunlight produces a beautiful rainbow from the spray that jets more than 40 feet high.
\nTo say that direct sunlight was visible before the Flood would make God\u2019s covenant null and void; of no effect. For what significance would such a statement by God (Gen. 9:13\u201316) have if rainbows had previously existed? The appearance of the rainbow affirms that Noah had probably never experienced rainfall before the flood.
\nWorld Without Seasons, Snow or Ice
\nAnother marvel of the pre-Flood world included a lack of seasonal changes which much of the world now encounters. (See. fig. 33.) There was no ice skating, snow skiing, snowball fights or snow shoveling. Rather, there was a year-round tropical paradise\u2014as one might experience on a South Pacific island. It wasn\u2019t until after the Flood that we read about seasons of summer and winter.
\nFigure 33. A WINTERLESS WORLD<\/p>\n
The Lord \u2026 said in his heart: \u201c\u2026 As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease\u201d (Gen. 8:21, 22 NIV).
\nSeasons, as we presently know them, would not have existed under the canopy. They are the result of the axis tilt of the Earth and its annual orbit around the sun. (See fig. 34.) With the canopy, seasonal changes would have been minimal, even with the Earth\u2019s present axis tilt. However, some creationists believe the axis slant and the orbit of the Earth may have been different before the Flood.
\nFigure 34. THE FIRST SUMMER AND WINTER<\/p>\n
Seasons, as we know them, would not have existed under the canopy; they would first have occurred after the Flood and the canopy\u2019s collapse.
\nThe Bible reveals that Adam and Eve\u2019s sin affected the whole universe. Some creationists have speculated that it was then that the Earth may have been subjected to a catastrophic event which caused it to tilt. This tilt may symbolize the catastrophic effect of sin on all creation: that creation is out of balance and perfection, a reminder of the results of sin. It presently is waiting for the day of restoration (Rom. 8:20\u201322). In fact, numerous examples of past catastrophic events exist in our solar system, including our sun and its nine planets.
\nConclusion
\nDirect sunlight would have been unable to penetrate the vapor canopy. Consequently, wind and water evaporation would be minimal. Rain would not have occurred; mist, dew, streams and rivers would have watered the Earth instead. There would have been no rainbows, nor seasons of summer and winter as we presently experience them. Instead, a semitropical climate, with mild temperatures and a delightful year-round growing season, would have existed.
\nChapter Six
\nThe Planet of the Giants
\nGiant Creatures
\nOne marvel of the ancient world was the surprisingly large size of its living creatures. Giant lizards weighing over 40 tons were common. Why is it these animals once flourished upon the Earth, but now are extinct? Why are there no giants today, except marine animals like whales? The elephant, the largest of land creatures living now, is small in comparison with the giant creatures that roamed the Earth several thousand years ago. (See fig. 35.)
\nFigure 35. IN THE SHADOW OF GIANTS<\/p>\n
The largest land creature today, the elephant, is small in comparison to the gigantic behemoth which roamed the Earth in the past. Measuring 60 feet tall and weighing in at 100 tons, this creature would have needed several thousand pounds of food per day.
\nClimatic conditions in ancient times are believed to be the same as those of certain areas on the Earth today. Therefore, it is unlikely that giantism can be explained only by an abundant food supply and tropical climate. Fossils reveal the ancestors of today\u2019s mammals were 30\u201340% greater in length or height.
\nIn times past, beavers were the size of today\u2019s adult pig, and pigs grew to the size of cattle. Deer antlers measuring over 12 feet in width have been found. Ground sloths, which today grow to the size of an average monkey, developed to over 18 feet in length. The ancient bison stood 7\u00bd feet tall at the shoulders; modern bisons average 4\u00bd\u20135 feet. Camels were once over 12 feet tall. (See fig. 36.) Rhinos reached a height of 17 feet and a length of 30 feet. The height of mammoths at their shoulder was 19 feet; and crocodiles over fifty feet in length once roamed the face of the Earth.
\nFigure 36. GIANT CREATURES OF ANOTHER AGE<\/p>\n
a. Beavers once grew to the size of today\u2019s pig.<\/p>\n
b. Pigs once grew as large as today\u2019s cow.<\/p>\n
c. Deer large enough to grow antlers measuring over 12 feet in width once roamed the Earth.<\/p>\n
d. Bisons once stood 7\u00bd feet tall at the shoulders. Today, a bison\u2019s average shoulder height is only 4\u00bd feet.<\/p>\n
e. Giant camels once grew over 12 feet tall.<\/p>\n
f. Giant rhinos once stood over 17 feet in height.
\nOn the Alaskan tundra, the frozen remains of gigantic camels, lions, horses, tigers, elephants, sloths and bison have been found in layers of ice, mud and volcanic materials\u2014all scrambled together and torn to shreds in those layers. These animals do not live in that area of the world today, let alone grow to be giants in size.
\nThe largest land creatures of all were certain types of dinosaurs. (See fig. 37.) The adult tyrannosaur, a lizard, averaged 20 feet in height when standing erect. The branchiosaur was probably the largest creature ever to walk the Earth, measuring 60 feet high at the shoulders and weighing 80\u2013100 tons.
\nFigure 37. THE \u201cBIG BOYS\u201d LINE UP<\/p>\n
The dinosaur kingdom possessed the true giants. The largest among these creatures of the past were not only colossal in size, but literally thundered when they strolled by.
\nGiant Birds
\nBirds with wingspans over 50 feet in length have been found in the fossil record. The moa, a bird of New Zealand, diminished from an ancient size of 12 feet tall to 3 feet, then became extinct. One of the largest birds that ever lived was the dodo. The bones of this bird were found on the island of Madagascar, off the East coast of Africa. The dodo was three times as large as today\u2019s ostrich, which reaches a height of 9 feet tall and a weight of 345 pounds. (See fig. 38.) Prehistoric bats weighed about as much as an average-sized sheep\u2014140 pounds\u2014with a head the size of a crocodile\u2019s and a wingspan of 15 feet.
\nFigure 38. GIANTS OF ANOTHER ERA<\/p>\n
Figure 39. MORE GIANTS OF ANOTHER ERA<\/p>\n
Giant Marine Life
\nFossilized snail shells measuring nearly a foot in diameter have been found; the same kind grow only an inch in size today. The pearly nautilus once measured over a yard across. Today they grow barely larger than 8\u201310 inches in diameter. Lobsters once developed to over 6 feet in size.
\nMarine reptiles have been found in Kansas, which is about as far from any ocean as one can go in the United States. The marine reptiles found there measured nearly 50 feet in length. Displayed in the Yale University museum is a giant sea turtle whose shell is over 6 feet by 6 feet. The American Museum of Natural History in New York City contains the jaws of an excavated shark fossil that can easily accommodate a man standing upright.
\nGiant Insects
\nIn those times, even insects grew to enormous sizes. Cockroaches were 1 foot in length. Locusts had wingspans of 7 inches. The dragonfly had a body nearly 6 inches long, and its wings spread over 2 feet from tip to tip. (See fig. 39.) Millipedes, now only a couple of inches in length, grew as long as a cow in times past.
\nGiant Plants
\nAs their petrified remains reveal, shrubs once grew over 100 feet high. Mosses grew 2\u20133 feet in height, instead of just an inch or so as they do today. Horsetail reeds reached 50 feet instead of today\u2019s 5\u20136 feet.
\nAsparagus, which only grows 2\u20133 feet high today, in the past grew as high as 40 feet tall. Interestingly, the root systems of these large plants did not grow as extensively or profusely as they do now. (See fig. 40.) The root structure of today\u2019s plants and trees enables them to locate water and to withstand powerful storms. In the past, root systems were shallow\u2014indicating they were well-supplied with water and existed in a calm and serene environment, which is to be expected under a canopy.
\nFigure 40. ROOT SYSTEMS: PAST AND PRESENT<\/p>\n
As their fossils reveal, the root systems of ancient trees were much more shallow and less profuse than those of today. Moisture and nourishment were nearer the surface under the canopy. After the Flood, trees had to develop extensive root networks to seek food and water, as well as to withstand severe elements like gale-force winds.
\nFossilized redwood forests, buried under massive ice deposits, have been found in the south polar region with trunks three feet in diameter. (See fig. 41.) These giant trees required a very special environment: one with plenty of moisture. Such an environment, as well as giant redwood trees, is found along the northwest coast of the USA today.
\nFigure 41. REDWOODS IN ICE<\/p>\n
Redwood forests have been found buried under massive ice deposits at the South Pole. These towering giants require a very special environment, such as that found in the Northwest U.S.
\nGiant Men
\nIn Genesis 6:4 we find the Hebrew word \u201cnephiyl\u201d or \u201cnephilim,\u201d which is the same Hebrew word used in Numbers 13:33. There were giants in the past\u2014both before and after the Flood.
\nThe Nephilim (giants) were on the Earth in those days\u2014and also afterward\u2014when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown (Gen. 6:4 NIV).
\nWe saw the Nephilim (giants) there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim [giants]). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them (Num. 13:33 NIV).
\nAccording to the Bible, giants have existed since the beginning of man. Numerous written records describe individuals over eight feet in height. Besides Genesis 6:4, there are many additional references in the Bible describing giant men\u2014and even whole tribes or nations of giants.
\n1. Deut. 2:10, 11, 20, 21 (LB)\u2014\u201cThe Emim \u2026 (were) a very large tribe, tall as the giants \u2026 but the Lord destroyed them as the Ammonites came in.\u2026\u201d
\n2. Deut. 3:11 (Scofield)\u2014\u201cFor only Og, king of Bashan, remained of the remnant of giants.\u2026\u201d
\n3. Josh. 11:21, 22 (LB)\u2014\u201cDuring this period Joshua routed all of the giants.\u2026\u201d
\n4. Josh. 13:3, 12 (Scofield)\u2014\u201c\u2026 Remnant of the giants \u2026\u201d
\n5. Josh. 15:8 (Scofield)\u2014\u201c\u2026 Valley of the giants \u2026\u201d
\n6. Josh. 17:15 (Scofield)\u2014\u201c\u2026 The land of the Perizzites and of the giants \u2026\u201d
\n7. 1 Sam 17:4\u20137 (LB)\u2014\u201c\u2026 Goliath \u2026 was a giant of a man, measuring over nine feet tall.\u2026\u201d
\n8. 2 Sam. 21:18\u201322\u2014(LB) \u201c\u2026 A giant with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot defied Israel \u2026 These four were from the tribe of giants.\u2026\u201d
\nOf course the best-known example of a giant in scripture is Goliath. Depending on the actual length of a cubit (17\u00bd\u201324\u00bd inches), Goliath could have been anywhere from 9\u00bd\u201313 feet tall. (See fig. 42.) Another giant mentioned in scripture, King Og, was even larger than Goliath. He had a bed over 14 feet long, making today\u2019s modern king-sized bed small in comparison. (See fig. 43.)
\nFigure 42. DAVID AND THE GIANT<\/p>\n
Depending on the length of a cubit (17\u00bd\u201320\u00bd inches), Goliath could have been anywhere from 9\u00bd\u201313 feet tall.
\nFigure 43. THE BED OF OG<\/p>\n
King Og\u2019s bed was over 14 feet long. Today\u2019s king-sized bed is only 7 feet long.
\nA Giant Among Men
\nAlthough rare today, men more than eight feet in height do live in our present world. It is becoming a common sight to see professional basketball players over seven feet tall. And occasionally a person will grow to the height of over eight feet. These present-day \u201cgiants\u201d may be a result of \u201cgenetic miscues.\u201d But surely the high standard of living in some areas of the world\u2014with their medical advancements and vitamin-enriched diets\u2014has had an effect upon the size, strength, and height of mankind. Allum Tena of Pakistan is presently the world\u2019s tallest man, standing eight feet three inches and wearing shoes nearly two feet in length.
\nLegends of Giants
\nBesides the scriptures, many historical records document individuals whose height exceeded eight feet. These reports are often classified by evolutionary historians and humanistic educators as myths and legends because they do not fit into their evolutionary picture. Legends of old cannot be considered totally true and accurate accounts of history. But the recurring themes in many legends suggest that a core of truth may be interwoven with the exaggerations added over the centuries.
\nEven if the scriptures and the legends and traditions of ancient man are discounted as evidence, the discovery of giant human footprints offers proof. The testimony of the rocks reveals that men, like animals and plants, once grew to be very large. Many huge human footprints have been uncovered in river beds, the largest of them being 25 inches long. (See fig. 44.) Calculating proportionately, the maker of this footprint was about 10 feet tall.
\nFigure 44. GIANT HUMAN FOOTPRINTS<\/p>\n
Twenty-five-inch human footprints have been found embedded in rock along the Paluxy River in the heart of Texas.
\nThe documented reports of giants and associated artifacts have been placed out of sight in the closets and back rooms of museums and universities. Why? Evolutionists do not know what to do with them; they do not fit into the evolutionary concept of man\u2019s rise to his present height and form. The presence of giants in the lineage of man poses a problem for evolutionists. According to that theory, man is on an upward climb, both physically and intellectually, and could never have descended from such large ancestors.
\nRemains of Giants Found
\nOn January 1, 1949, the Associated Press recorded the finding of a giant human fossil, twice the size of a gorilla and weighing 1,000 pounds. World-renowned anthropologist, Dr. Robert Broom, discovered the petrified remains of a giant in South Africa. At Lampock Rancho in Colorado, a skeleton of a man about twelve feet tall was discovered. At Santa Rosa Island, California, the remains of a giant human were unearthed. Near Crittenden, Arizona, workmen excavating for a commercial building came upon a huge stone sarcophagus holding a mummy more than 12 feet tall\u2014with 6 toes on each foot! The \u201cPanther Creek Woman\u201d is a skeleton of a young female found by \u201cBull\u201d Adams. He discovered the remains only about 12 miles from the 25-inch human footprints located in Texas\u2019 Paluxy riverbed. The skeleton reveals she was approximately 7 feet tall. These and other findings substantiate the validity of the Bible\u2019s mention of giants.
\nExplorers Discover Giants
\nTwo books, Nomads and Empire Builders and History of the Inca Empire are compilations of records by the early explorers about their expeditions. Those men kept journals of the experiences that they encountered. The records are written in the matter-of-fact fashion one would expect from a historian. There is no hint of emotion or sensationalism, which lends to the credibility of the records.
\nNomads and Empire Builders reveals that in 1501\u20131502, Goncalo Coehio and his crew observed giant men at 52\u00b0 south along the coast of South America, which is presently called Argentina. In 1520, Ferdinand Magellan sailed along Patagonia and through the Straits of Magellan, where he discovered the giant Big Feet people, the Patagonians. At 34\u00b0 (the Rio Plata), the present location of Buenos Aires, Argentina, giants were encountered. \u201cOne of these men, huge as a giant, came to the captain\u2019s ship to find out if others could come. This man had a voice like a bull \u2026 These people did more with one step than we could do at a bound.\u2026\u201d At 49\u00b0 south\u2014present-day San Julian\u2014another encounter with giants, both men and women, took place. The Spaniards went on a hunting party with the giants. The captain named these people Patagonians (because of their big feet). One giant was converted and was baptized (Beals, 6\u20138; 14\u201316).
\nIn History of the Inca Empire we find that the traditions of the Indians have vestiges of giants living both inland and by the sea in the area now occupied by the country of Peru. Where they came from, and how they may have arrived, is not certain. The first Spanish conquistadors found human bones of such enormous size that clearly they were from giants. Some limbs were four spans (three feet) in length. During the conquest of Tucuman, a vault was found with over 100 human skeletons in it, all from giants of unusually large proportions. There are vestiges of giants throughout America. They seem to have died out about the time the Incas began to reign in A.D. 1200.
\nGreek mythology and other legends of past civilizations abound with accounts of giants. Many of these reports are interwoven with fiction and fantasy\u2014exaggerations which resulted from being passed from one pagan generation to the next. Undoubtedly, there is a core of truth to these testimonies, just as there is a core of truth to the flood legends that have been collected around the world.
\nIs It Possible Adam was a Giant?
\nModern man averages around 6 feet in height. Goliath, who lived about 1050 B.C., was around 10 feet tall. Earlier in time, King Og had a bed 14 feet in length. Is it possible, then, that Adam, the first man, stood as tall as 16 feet? (See fig. 45.)
\nFigure 45. HUMAN GIANTS ROAMED THE EARTH<\/p>\n
The fossil record reveals that all creatures, including those now extinct, once grew to be much larger than those of today. Were humans also much larger in the past? The evidence in the rocks verifies such a conclusion.
\nPerhaps God created man much larger than we suppose. Some creationists have speculated that if we proceed backward in time to the sixth day of creation, we might find man was considerably larger than he is today.
\nThe giant creatures which once roamed the Earth would not have seemed as awesome and imposing to ancient men if they too were of enormous proportions. Perhaps we now have a better understanding of this scripture:
\n\u201cNot against people as strong as they are!\u201d the other spies said. \u201cThey would crush us!\u201d So the majority report of the spies was negative: \u201cThe land is full of warriors, the people are powerfully built, and we saw some of the Anakim there, descendants of the ancient race of giants. We felt like grasshoppers before them, they were so tall!\u201d (Num. 13:31\u201333 LB). (See fig. 46.)
\nFigure 46. MEN FELT LIKE GRASSHOPPERS<\/p>\n
The Israeli spies felt like grasshoppers compared to the giants they reported seeing in the Promised Land.
\nThe Truth of the Matter
\nIt must be understood that life is not evolving into larger, stronger and more intelligent creatures. In fact, the records of the rocks reveal just the reverse: many of today\u2019s life forms are basically the same as fossils found in rocks, but much smaller. (See fig. 47.)
\nFigure 47. THE MYTH OF EVOLUTION<\/p>\n
History reveals the tragic deterioration of man\u2019s intelligence and achievements. It refutes the evolutionary illusion that man is advancing both intellectually and physically.
\nIn spite of the technology and scientific advancements of twentieth-century man, scripture reveals that modern man is but a shadow of ancient man in terms of intelligence (Job 8:8\u201310).
\nBecause of sin, this world is doomed. The creatures inhabiting this Earth will continue to succumb to the second law of thermodynamics, which is better understood in terms of the curse. This law states that everything is wearing out, growing old and dying.
\nDuring the Middle Ages, man in many parts of the world averaged only about five feet in height and lived, on the average, merely 30 years. Today, modern medicine has helped man to overcome the effects of the curse to some degree, raising the average height and life span. But eventually all life will succumb to the law of entropy, better known as the curse and the law of death.
\nIn addition to the curse, this condemned world is also subject to the destructive forces created by twentieth century technology. The world is on the verge of self-destruction through toxic waste, air pollution, acid rain, ozone depletion and nuclear bombs. If it weren\u2019t for the return of Christ, no one would come out alive.
\nIf those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened (Matt. 24:22 NIV).
\nNew World Under Construction
\nThis world is condemned. However, a new world is under construction; it is being prepared for the children of God.
\nBut in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness (2 Pet. 3:13 NIV).
\nFor here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come (Heb. 13:14 NIV).
\nBut our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ (Phil. 3:20 NIV).
\nChapter Seven
\nAncient Longevity
\nLiving for a Thousand Years: Fact or Fiction\u2014Genesis 5
\nFor centuries, scoffers have taken delight in using chapter five of Genesis as a good example of mythology being interwoven into the Bible. In so doing, they hope to discredit the Holy Word as inspired and infallible.
\nThe Genesis account reveals that men once lived an average of just under 1,000 years. Methuselah lived to the ripe old age of 969 years (Gen. 5:27). What a time he must have had trying to blow out the candles on his birthday cake each year! (See fig. 48.) Can you imagine living 1,000 years? It would definitely have some advantages, but then again it could have some real drawbacks. What a blessing to the world if, for example, Albert Einstein had lived 1,000 years. What might have happened if Peter, John and Paul could have lived several hundred more years, preaching the Gospel and writing additional books for God\u2019s children to have today. On the other hand, what a terrible curse it would have been for a diabolical dictator like Hitler to live any years beyond what he did. What would it be like to see our great-, great-, great-, great-, great-, great-grandchildren? Think what a person could accomplish living 1,000 years if he remained healthy and had the freedom to enjoy life to its fullest. We know that when Christ returns, Christians will enter a new kingdom and dominion in which they shall live eternally. But is it possible that in the past, a normal lifetime was nearly 1,000 years? It is not only possible, but it is true.
\nFigure 48. THE WORLD\u2019S BIGGEST BIRTHDAY CAKE<\/p>\n
At 969 years of age, Methuselah would have had quite a time blowing out the candles on his birthday cake. Such a cake surely would have been in the Guinness Book of World Records.
\nRoots Give Life Meaning
\nThe Bible carefully lists genealogies. The reason for such thoroughness was to trace the roots of the Messiah, in order to verify the prophecies regarding His identity. God knows the importance of knowing one\u2019s roots. Weddings, birthdays, funerals and anniversaries are important events to remember. They help us to recognize from where we came, which in turn gives us direction in life and a feeling of belonging.
\nIt is little wonder, then, that the college-aged segment of our society has the highest suicide rate. These young adults are being indoctrinated by a pagan religion that says both the past and the future are unknown. Evolution declares we are here because of blind chance, without any sponsorship of intelligence (God). Eventually the human race will come to a cold, silent end\u2014either as a result of a nuclear holocaust or by some worldwide natural disaster, such as a meteorite impact.
\nThe theory of evolution is suicidal in nature. Believing in the ape to man theory brings mental and moral death. The only reason for living is to \u201ceat, drink and be merry.\u201d At the end of life, there is only death. So why not experiment with drugs, free sex, alcohol and any other lifestyle that suits one\u2019s fancy? Life without God is meaningless, bringing despair. The only genuine reason, purpose and hope for living is found in Jesus Christ.
\nExtra-Biblical Accounts of Longevity
\nReports of longevity are found not only in Genesis, but also among the ancients universally. Extra-biblical documents that acknowledge the long life spans of people of long ago have been discovered in such places as Greece, Egypt, Syria, Persia and India\u2014areas in or very near the cradle of civilization.
\nJosephus, the Jewish historian of Roman times, understood well the natural human tendency to doubt or disbelieve something that cannot be seen, experienced or heard from a reliable source. However, Josephus and his colleagues had read the history books of antiquity from the Mediterranean world, then under Rome. Josephus\u2019 sources came from three continents: Africa, Asia and Europe. Thus he was familiar with many remote accounts of earlier historians not available today. It seems he was convinced about the matter of ancient longevity:
\nLet no one upon comparing the lives of the ancients with our lives, and with the few years which we now live, think that what we have said of them is false; or make the shortness of our lives at present an argument, that neither did they attain to so long a duration of life \u2026 Now I have for witnesses to what I have said, all those that have written antiquities, both among the Greeks and barbarians: for even Manetho, who wrote the Egyptian history, and Berosus, who collected the Chaldean monuments, and Mochus, Hestiaeus, and besides these, Hieronymus the Egyptian, and those that composed the Phoenician history, agree to what I here say: Hesiod also, and Hecataeus, and Hellanicus and Acusilaus, and besides these, Ephorus and Nicolaus relate, that the ancients lived a thousand years. But as to these matters, let every one look upon them as they think fit.
\nFigures of Speech or Figures of Foolishness
\nWhen it comes to the life span of the patriarchs, some believe the ages given in the Bible are figures of speech and not actual periods of life. The prominent modern writer on science and its history, staunch atheist Isaac Asimov, suggests the ages were calculated in months, not years. The original Hebrew language, however, allows for no such interpretation. And Asimov overlooked such patriarchs as Abraham, whose life span covered 175 years. If he lived 175 months, he would have reached only 14\u00bd years. Or what about Job\u2019s 210 years? It is because fools absolutely refuse to believe in God that they can make such nonsensical statements (Psa. 14:1).
\nBut the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming (Psa. 37:13 NIV).
\nThe \u201cWhys\u201d of Giantism and Longevity
\nWhat reasonable explanation accounts for the great dimensions and prolonged life spans in ancient times? Something must have been drastically different in those days.
\nA number of theories have been introduced to explain the longevity and size of early creatures and plants. One suggestion is that original man did not experience the full impact or consequences of sin. Another theory is that the superiority of the food, atmosphere and other living conditions during this period account for longevity and giantism.
\nPerhaps the Creator God intended longevity in order for mankind to populate the Earth quickly and to promote basic moral and spiritual principles throughout his beginnings. God foresaw that the Earth would become the center of the universe. On this planet, an age-long battle for the souls of mankind would be waged between the kingdom of Satan and the kingdom of God for the souls of mankind. One can almost envision Adam as he gathered around him his great-, great-, great-, great-, great-grandchildren and repeatedly told them how God created the world, how He directed mankind to live and obey Him, and how God showed both punishment and mercy after Adam and Eve\u2019s disobedience. Adam died 930 years after creation. He lived, then, at the same time as Enoch and Methuselah\u2014both of whom were born over 600 years after creation. (See fig. 49.)
\nFigure 49. PATRIARCH CHART OF LIFE SPANS<\/p>\n
See Genesis 5:3\u201332; 11:10\u201332; 21:5\u201325:7; 25:26; 35:28; 47:28; 50:26.
\nHere is a mystery: The life span of Methuselah, who died at the age of 969 years, was shorter than that of his father, Enoch, who lived on this Earth for only 365 years. After 365 years of what was apparently an exceptionally righteous life, Enoch disappeared\u2014without dying. This incident suggests mankind is immortal\u2014that there is actually life beyond death. Living forever was God\u2019s original plan and purpose for mankind from the beginning. If God can cause a person to live forever, then for Him to allow some to live 1,000 years is nothing in comparison.
\nGenesis 1:31 and 5:1\u201332 suggest that in the pre-Flood world climatic conditions were favorable and food was abundant. Still, other factors must have contributed to giantism and greater longevity.<\/p>\n
Chapter Eight
\nThe Water Vapor Shield: Earth\u2019s \u201cNickel Defense\u201d
\nSpace Invaders Change The World
\nSpace Invaders landed on Earth in the 70s, and the American home has never been the same. (See fig. 50.) Millions of children of all ages have been taken captive by these galactic villains. After school and after work, the TV has become host to major tactical cosmic thrusts, engaging the forces of the Jones\u2019 family against the Cyclops and a host of other cosmic critters. One vital element in this battle against the invading mutant aliens is the button at the end of the joy stick. Pressing this button emits an invisible force field that acts as a protective shield against enemy fire\u2014be it smart bombs, dumb bombs, alpha beams, photon torpedoes or laser cannons. (See fig. 51.) Nothing evil can penetrate the invisible megashield to liquidate the federation fleet of the mortals known as Earthlings. As amazing as this force field is, it is neither invincible nor unlimited. It only safeguards for a few seconds before the reserve forces of King Klop\u2019s star pirates arrive. Soon the TV screen is covered with a zillion zylons who zap the player into the third heaven which Paul the apostle spoke about in 2 Cor. 12:2.
\nFigure 50. THE DAY THE SPACE INVADERS LANDED<\/p>\n
Since the day Space Invaders landed in this nation in the form of a video game, the American home has never been the same.
\nFigure 51. THE INVISIBLE FORCE FIELD<\/p>\n
This powerful defensive weapon can add an additional two or three seconds of playing time before one is blown into oblivion.
\nThese introductory comments were designed to acquaint the reader with the invisible force field common among video games. This shield common to the arcade industry is also a physical reality in our world. Originally, three vital defense shields surrounded our planet and protected us from alien rays. In the pre-Flood world, these shields were much stronger than they are today. This is one reason why ancient man was superior physically, in size and age, as well as in intelligence. The first defense shield was the water vapor canopy, which would have protected life from harmful radiation.
\nA World Without Radiation
\nWe learned about radiation in elementary school; we were shown movies of the atomic bomb and the associated deadly radiation. One source of this harmful energy is from the sun. This radiation is deadly to all living cells, whether cells of plants, animals or man. The water canopy effected a shield that protected the Earth\u2019s surface from the sun.
\nAtomic Bullets
\nRadiation is simply microscopic atomic bullets shot at the speed of light from the nucleus (center) of a radioactive atom. One which hits a person will not kill him because it is too small; but it will damage or destroy the cell that it hits. If one is hit by many of these atomic bullets, permanent damage to the body or even death can ensue. The results depend on the amount of radiation or atomic bullets to which one has been exposed.
\nSoviet Nuclear Disaster
\nRadioactive materials, which emit radiation, can eventually destroy life. The recent disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the Soviet Union released tremendous amounts of deadly radiation and radioactive particles into the atmosphere. Although the extent of radiation was initially downplayed, now it has been learned that literally millions of people were exposed. The degree of exposure will dictate the extent of damage to the cells and the measure of future physical suffering and complications individuals experience in the years ahead.
\nSurvivors of the atomic bomb blasts that destroyed the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II may not have been hurt in the initial explosion, having been sheltered or far enough away from the center of the blast. Yet they were, in fact, hit by billions of invisible radioactive particles which either damaged or killed cell tissue. In time, these people experienced major physical complications. Many suffered death or permanent impairment.
\nUltraviolet Radiation
\nRadiation comes not only from atomic bombs, nuclear plants and X-ray machines, but also from our sun and from outer space. Radiation leads to premature aging and a reduction of one\u2019s life span. (See fig. 52.) X-rays, cosmic radiation, and the sun\u2019s ultraviolet rays can injure not only the individual, but also any potential offspring.
\nFigure 52. RADIATION INDUCES RAPID AGING<\/p>\n
With the canopy\u2019s collapse, harmful radiation penetrated the atmosphere and began to damage and destroy living tissue. Radiation exposure leads to premature aging and a shortened life span.
\nOne specific area of concern these days is associated with tanning. A particular form of radiation comes from the sun as ultraviolet rays. Skin cancer is becoming increasingly prevalent as people expose themselves, not only to the tanning rays of the sun, but also to its harmful ultraviolet rays, which can destroy cells or cause them to become cancerous.
\nEarth\u2019s \u201cNickel Defense\u201d
\nThe pre-Flood environment had a canopy of water vapor over it, substantially reducing the amount of radiation reaching the Earth\u2019s surface. (See fig. 53.) The large quantity of water vapor absorbed and deflected the radiation, causing much of it to break up into rays harmless to life. Let\u2019s call this shield the Earth\u2019s \u201cnickel defense.\u201d Like a football team which has five defensive backs for neutralizing an opponent\u2019s specialized offensive attack, the Earth possessed about five miles of absorbing, deflecting and neutralizing water vapor.
\nFigure 53. PRE-FLOOD WATER-VAPOR SHIELD<\/p>\n
The pre-Flood water canopy absorbed and deflected radiation, substantially reducing the amount of harmful radiation that reached the Earth\u2019s surface.
\nAs a result of the canopy, the pre-Flood atmosphere had far less radiation than does the present one; therefore, there were far fewer somatic and hereditary mutations (harmful results or changes in a living organism, resulting in babies born with deformities). Radiation can affect the blueprint for the development and growth of a fetus.
\nIn essence, the water vapor canopy acted as a shield much like a sponge\u2014absorbing and deflecting harmful radiation coming from outer space. The original space invaders could not have landed on Earth before the Flood.
\nChapter Nine
\nThe Ozone Shield: The Earth\u2019s \u201cSpecialty Defense\u201d
\n\u201cOut in the Ozone\u201d
\nRecently, I accompanied a group of eighth graders on a science field trip. Occasionally, I would hear \u201cEarth to Roger, Earth to Roger, do you read me?\u201d According to one of his classmates, Roger was \u201cout in the ozone.\u201d He was in another \u201cworld,\u201d consistently failing to hear instructions given by the teacher.
\n\u201cOut in the ozone,\u201d or 20 miles above the surface of the Earth, is a blanket of triatomic oxygen\u2014ozone (O3). This layer still exists today, but is less than that of the pre-Flood environment. The ozone layer acts as a protective shield, just like the vapor canopy in the pre-Flood world. The vapor canopy\u2019s nickel defense would have been accompanied by this second defense system, the ozone shield. (See fig. 54.)
\nFigure 54. PRE-FLOOD, POST-FLOOD OZONE LEVELS<\/p>\n
Post-Flood ozone levels were substantially less than the pre-Flood levels. This change escalated the rate of deterioration in the living cell and decreased the length of life.
\nWhat is Ozone?
\nOzone (O3) is a gas formed and concentrated primarily in the upper atmosphere. There, radiation bombards oxygen (O2\u2014a health-producing gas) and changes it into ozone (O3\u2014a health destroying gas). The concentration forms a shield or blanket, completely surrounding the Earth from pole to pole. The scant amount of ozone in the atmosphere is less than ten parts per million; translated into layman\u2019s terms, the ozone layer is about the thickness of a pane of window glass.
\nNevertheless, the shield is vital to the preservation of life on planet Earth. This thin layer is enough to stop most of the sun\u2019s dangerous ultraviolet rays from reaching the Earth\u2019s surface. A defensive coach of a football team designs special strategies to be used for a specific offensive play (such as punt and kickoff returns). In the same way, God designed this little molecule for a particular assignment: the task of defending against the onslaught of destructive forces coming from outer space.
\nHoley Ozone
\nWhat worries scientists today is the discovery that the layer of ozone seems to be growing thinner. Sensitive instruments have detected that the amount of ozone in the upper atmosphere has decreased by half in the last 15 years. Several years ago, scientists discovered that a hole in the ozone layer forms near Antarctica in the autumn of each year. (See fig. 55.) Later, the same discovery was made at the North Pole. Data gathered by satellites over the past several years has been studied, and it appears the ozone opening is increasing in size year by year. The ozone level has dropped by 50% over Antarctica. Eventually there may be no ozone layer at all in the upper atmosphere. If that were to happen, life on planet Earth would be drastically affected\u2014and its very existence threatened. This testifies to the truth of the curse: planet Earth is fatally doomed. It would be only a matter of time before all life would come to a cold and silent end, if it were not for the return of the King of the universe to rule, reign and restore (Matt. 24:21, 22).
\nMeanwhile, does it matter? Yes, it is critical. The ozone layer prevents the sun\u2019s dangerous ultraviolet rays from penetrating the atmosphere and striking the Earth\u2019s surface, causing serious sunburns, skin cancers, cataracts and other illnesses. Even more disturbing, without the protection of the ozone layer, radiation would be free to penetrate our atmosphere and kill bacteria and algae populating the sea\u2014a critical link in the ecological food chain. Famines may result from such environmental disturbances and changes. Scripture warns that in the last days there will be famines.
\nFigure 55. OZONE UNDER ATTACK<\/p>\n
Over the past decade, industrial chemicals have thinned the Earth\u2019s protective ozone blanket by as much as 50% in some areas.
\nThe Culprit\u2014Chlorofluorocarbons
\nThe problem with ozone depletion was predicted in the early 1970s by scientists at the University of California. They pointed their finger at chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), of which freon (used in air conditioning and refrigerator systems) is the best known example. (See fig. 56.)
\nThe chlorine atoms drift to the upper layers of the atmosphere where they destroy or break down the ozone molecules. (See fig. 57.) When this danger was first pointed out, the United States banned the use of CFCs in spray cans. But they are still used for other purposes\u2014such as in making styrofoam coffee cups and fast food containers, as well as in cleaning solutions for electronic circuit boards and computer chips. Furthermore, there are no good substitutes, so far, for refrigerators and air conditioners.
\nFigure 56. EFFECTS OF CFC ON THE OZONE<\/p>\n
Figure 57. THE DESTRUCTION OF OZONE<\/p>\n
The constant bombardment of ozone molecules by man-made CFC molecules is depleting the thin ozone layer in the stratosphere. For life on the Earth, this means a decrease of protection against deadly radiation from outer space. It is important that mankind take steps to prevent further depletion of the ozonosphere.
\nThis is a matter of serious concern. At this time, most ultraviolet light is still absorbed or deflected by the ozone and very little reaches the Earth\u2019s surface. If this were not the case, life on Earth would be endangered.
\nMore Skin Cancer
\nAs the ozone layer thins, more ultraviolet light will reach the Earth\u2019s surface. This will mean more skin cancer and other harmful effects among human beings.
\nThe Environmental Protection Agency issued a risk assessment in 1987, predicting that for every one percent drop in global ozone, there would be a one to three percent increase in skin cancers. Global ozone has dropped at least 2 percent in the past ten years, EPA said, leading to possibly four million added cases of skin cancer. In the past ten years alone, dangerous skin cancers have risen by 50 percent. Because of the long latency periods after exposure, doctors believe that case numbers will escalate even faster in coming decades (National Geographic, Oct. 1990, 95).
\nThe Problem With Living \u201cin the Ozone\u201d
\nAs long as it remains intact above the Earth, the ozone shield is valuable for the preservation of life. But its beneficial value decreases when it comes in contact with life. Before the Flood, the uniform atmospheric conditions surrounding the Earth would have created a stability within the ozone layer. Today, some of this ozone touches the surface of the Earth, as a result of wind turbulence and jet streams at high elevations. (See fig. 58.) As ozone comes near the Earth\u2019s surface, it is ingested and absorbed by living organisms. This accelerates the decay process in living tissue and is another factor why life generally deteriorates much faster today. Because of the ill effects of ozone on the human body, the evening weather report now provides an ozone count.
\nFigure 58. THE NEGATIVE SIDE OF OZONE<\/p>\n
The highest content of ozone is in a thin layer about mid-way up in the stratosphere. As long as O3 (ozone) remains high above Earth\u2019s surface, it acts as a protective agent for life. But when O3 enters the troposphere and makes its way down to the surface of the Earth, it accelerates the decaying process in living tissue and becomes a factor in the deterioration of life.
\nWhen ozone is ingested through the lungs and into the blood stream, it destroys the living cell\u2014much like the deadly gas carbon monoxide does, only without the same intensity. Even when ingested at the small ratio of only several parts per million, ozone has a toxic effect and will injure many types of living tissue, which can be fatal.
\nHowever, before the Flood the uniform atmosphere surrounding the Earth did not generate either the air turbulence that today causes ozone to descend, or the man-made pollutants that break down the ozone molecules.
\nThe final result would be a much higher concentration of ozone in the upper atmosphere. The ozone layer remained undisturbed and served as an additional shield against lethal radiation from the sun and outer space.
\nOzone and Radiation Experimentation
\nVarious experiments have been conducted to reveal the negative effects of ozone and radiation on a living cell. Bacteria has been subjected to mild levels of radiation, and fish to controlled amounts of ozonic water. Both experiments have shown a similar downward curve of longevity. After exposure to radiation or ozone, the life span of each succeeding generation became shorter than the previous one. Eventually, a stabilizing effect occurred, and there was no further loss of life span. These experiments reflect what occurred after the Flood. Living creatures and plants were subjected to greater levels of radiation and ozone, resulting in a change in the length of life. (See fig. 59.)
\nFigure 59. EXPERIMENTS WITH OZONE<\/p>\n
Subjecting animals to small amounts of ozone has revealed that life tends to degenerate and decay much more rapidly after exposure to this element. That is why men had shorter life spans after the Flood.
\nAnother interesting study has revealed that radiology technicians who work around X-ray equipment live seven years less, on the average, than doctors who do not work with X-ray machines. Although X-ray machines are made to prevent radiation from escaping, they do produce small amounts of ozone while in operation. This is believed to be a factor in this difference in length of life. A protective metal shield is now commonly placed over a patient\u2019s midsection during an X-ray, to protect his vital organs against any radiation from the machine.
\nBetween the water vapor canopy and the ozone canopy, radiation coming toward the Earth would have been absorbed or deflected, thus protecting life on the Earth. We have looked at two of the Earth\u2019s defense systems, the \u201cnickel\u201d and \u201cspecialty\u201d defense. Now we shall consider a final defense: the \u201cprevent\u201d defense.
\nChapter Ten
\nThe Magnetic Shield: Earth\u2019s \u201cPrevent Defense\u201d
\nThe Power of Magnets
\nMagnets have always fascinated people, probably because of the invisibility of their power to the human senses.
\nThe force of a strong magnetic bar of iron is capable of suspending objects in air and moving them about as if the law of gravity were momentarily suspended. (See fig. 60.) In fact, some archaeologists believe that the ancients possessed the knowledge and capability to move giant stone blocks and statues weighing tons, by utilizing magnetic force. Although such concepts are only speculative, significant research is being conducted on the use of magnetism for moving objects.
\nFigure 60. THE POWER OF MAGNETS<\/p>\n
The force of a strong magnetic bar of iron can suspend objects in air and move them about, as if the law of gravity has been temporarily halted.
\nThe Magnetic Earth
\nSurrounding the Earth today exists the magnetic belt, which aids man in navigation and also acts as a powerful invisible shield against solar radiation. (See fig. 61.) The magnetic belt acts as an invisible shield against solar wind, which carries deadly, electrically-charged particles. (See fig. 62.)
\nFigure 61. THE MAGNETIC FIELD<\/p>\n
Surrounding the Earth today in the outer atmosphere are two doughnut-shaped zones known as the Van Allen belts, which act as invisible shields against radiation from the sun and outer space. The belts are trapped in the Earth\u2019s magnetic field.
\nFigure 62. SOLAR WIND<\/p>\n
The Van Allen belts, two bands encircling the Earth, act as Earth\u2019s shield against solar wind, which carries deadly, electrically-charged particles.
\nFrom time to time the sun emits a spectacular flare, showering the Earth with these tiny, charged particles and X-rays. (See fig. 63.) When this happens, the Earth\u2019s magnetic field causes these particles to produce shimmering curtains of neon lights in the heavens, known as auroras\u2014or the Northern Lights. (See fig. 64.) Solar storms are so strong they can nudge satellites out of orbit, garble radio communications, and cause electrical outages across parts of Canada and the United States. The Earth\u2019s magnetic field is a type of \u201cpreventative defense,\u201d acting as an initial buffer to shelter life on Earth against solar radiation.
\nFigure 63. FANTASTIC FLAMETHROWER<\/p>\n
A solar flare is a sudden, temporary outburst of energy from a small area of the sun\u2019s surface. Flaming gases erupt some 370,000 miles into space, sending bursts of radiated particles known as solar winds. When these enormous blasts reach the Earth, they trigger powerful magnetic storms, which are capable of disrupting communication systems and nudging satellites out of their orbits.
\nFigure 64. NORTHERN LIGHTS<\/p>\n
Most nights, the snows in the polar area glow, reflecting the aurora borealis (or northern lights), which ripple above the atmosphere like waving curtains. The lumination is caused by fast-moving solar wind particles hitting the magnetic shield at the polar regions of the Earth\u2019s atmosphere.
\nThe Decaying Magnetic Field
\nDr. Thomas Barnes, Professor of Physics at the University of Texas, stated that the Earth\u2019s magnetic field has been gradually decaying since it was first measured in 1835. Dr. Barnes revealed that the strength of the magnetic field has a half-life of 1,400 years. In other words, every 1,400 years it will be only half as strong. According to the observations of scientists, it is predicted that the magnetic field will virtually vanish by A.D. 3180.
\nBut more important to our study is what Dr. Barnes points out regarding the strength of the magnetic field in the past. (See fig. 65.) This field would have been twice as strong 1,400 years ago as it is now. In 825 B.C., it would have been four times greater than it is today. In 2225 B.C., just shortly after the Flood, it would have been eight times greater. And 1,400 years earlier\u2014about the time when man lived to be about 1,000 years of age\u2014the magnetic field would have been 16 times stronger. This means that the pre-Flood environment would have been greatly shielded against radiation. Thus, life during that time would not have suffered the degenerating effects of radiation to which it is subject in today\u2019s environment.
\nFigure 65. EARTH\u2019S MAGNETIC STRENGTH<\/p>\n
Creationists believe that our universe is only about 6,000 years old. This is supported by measurements of the Earth\u2019s magnetic strength, which reveal that it is decreasing by half every 1400 years. If this rate of decay has remained constant, then just 10,000 years ago Earth\u2019s magnetic strength would have been equivalent to that of a magnetic star, which would have made life impossible.
\nEvidence for a Recent Creation
\nScientific studies on the decreasing strength of the Earth\u2019s magnetic field indicate life on Earth would not have been possible more than 10,000 years ago. If, in fact, the Earth had been in existence that long ago, the strength and intensity of the magnetic field would not have allowed life to exist. For one thing, the heat generated by such a force would have been too great.
\nIf the magnetic field was much stronger in the past and the canopy truly existed, along with its much higher concentration of ozone, then radiometric dating methods would become seriously inaccurate. The entire system hinges on the basis that today\u2019s environment is exactly like it was millions and billions of years ago. This evolutionary concept is known as uniformitarianism. Radiometric dating techniques\u2014upon which evolutionists rely to confirm their theory of an ancient Earth\u2014would definitely be altered if the canopy, the ozone layer and the magnetic field were considered.
\nThe Shields of the Believer\u2019s Warfare
\nIn Psalm 47:9 we read, \u201c\u2026 For the shields of the Earth belong to God \u2026\u201d (NAS). A shield is a protector. God is truly our shield against the forces of the enemy. Just as He has provided the Earth with protective shields, He also provided the believer with an armor to guard against the destructive forces coming from outer darkness. The Christian has at his disposal the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth, the shield of faith, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.
\nThe first four components of the believer\u2019s armor are defensive in nature, while the sword is an offensive weapon. The sword functions somewhat like the \u201csmart bomb,\u201d a special weapon used in video games. Smart bombs can zap into oblivion all 10,000 creatures on the TV screen\u2014simply by pressing the button on the control pad. In a video game, a player can execute this command only three times per battle. But the believer can use his sword to wipe out the enemy forces as often as needed during any given battle, despite how many waves of demonic mutants the Prince of Darkness may send.
\n\u201cPut on the Whole Armor of God\u201d
\nThe believer must constantly guard against the enemy. Once a Christian recognizes his power and authority over the destroyer, the enemy will bitterly resist his attempts to exercise it. Satan will concentrate on intensive warfare against our spirit, mind, body, family or circumstances. Probably, no truth encounters such opposition as does the authority of the believer. But 1 John 4:4 teaches that we are God\u2019s children and have overcome the enemy\u2014because greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world. The different kinds of armor in Ephesians 6 symbolize a certain spiritual dominion that the believer must maintain. By wearing this armor, the believer, church and body are properly prepared for battle against the destroyer; but it is necessary to keep the armor secure and in good condition.
\nPut on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil\u2019s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Eph. 6:11\u201317 NIV).
\nAdditional \u201csmart bombs\u201d in the believer\u2019s arsenal are praise and worship, intercession, fasting, his personal prayer language and humility before God and man. These will send the forces of evil fleeing in terror.
\nChapter Eleven
\nThe Invasion of the Tomatoes and Fiber Optics
\nHow Rich Is Rich?
\nAdvertisers claim that a particular brand of coffee is produced on the most fertile soil in the world\u2014volcanic soil. Although there are places on Earth where the soil is extremely rich and productive, one can only imagine what the world must have been like before the catastrophic Flood struck. The fertility of the soil was superior in composition, enriched with minerals and elements and all things necessary for producing bountiful harvests. The entire Earth was covered with this enriched soil. The destructive Flood washed most of the top soil and its enrichment of minerals into the oceans. Today, most of the Earth is unproductive\u2014due to lack of water, overuse of soil and contamination. Restoration of land requires years of revitalization, rest and fertilization.
\nThe Great Charlie Brown Pumpkin
\nRemnants of giant produce still exist today, but they are grown under special conditions. Mammoth vegetables are one example. Cannonball-sized onions and turnips and 60-pound cabbages have been produced. A colossal pumpkin weighing 612 pounds was grown by Norman Gallagher. (See fig. 66.) Shattering all records for size, it won the 1984 International Pumpkin Weigh-off held in Half Moon Bay, California. Gallagher said he used lots of fertilizer. He estimated his pumpkin could be converted into 1,000 pumpkin pies.
\nLow-Budget Horror Movie
\nDoes the title of this chapter sound like the title of a low-budget horror movie? Maybe the producers of such foolishness receive their ideas from scientific experiments and discoveries, such as the following one involving fiber optics.
\nFigure 66. GIANT PUMPKINS<\/p>\n
Giant vegetables, such as the 600-pound pumpkin illustrated above, are being raised today. These huge vegetables give us insight into the crop yields of the pre-Flood world, in which the soil and environment were much more conducive to the growth of produce.
\nRecent experiments with fiber optics (strains of glass fibers) demonstrate the effects of filtered sunlight. Fiber optics may be best known for their ability to carry light waves. For example, one tiny strand of fiber the diameter of a hair can carry hundreds of times more telephone conversations than a copper cable, which is hundreds of times larger. (See fig. 67.)
\nFigure 67. FIBER OPTICS<\/p>\n
Fiber optics, transparent strains of glass smaller than a human hair, have many uses. They can transmit light for communications or for growing produce underground.
\nFiber optics allow sunshine to pass through the strains of tubular glass while filtering out lethal ultraviolet rays. This recent discovery gives us an illustration of the original environment under the canopy. The canopy would have allowed diffused life-giving light to penetrate while filtering out harmful radiation.
\nThousands of Tomatoes
\nAs a result of the discovery involving fiber optics, experiments have been conducted on tomato plants. These plants, placed under glass fibers called \u201csunflowers,\u201d received filtered light from the sun. (See fig. 68.) Within a couple of months, the tomato plants began growing at a phenomenal rate. The experiment was displayed in a Japanese exhibition hall for public viewing; but the plant continued to receive filtered light from the optical sunflower device. Within a couple of years, the plant was over 16 feet tall and had produced over 900 tomatoes. By its fifth birthday, it had reached the height of over 20 feet and had produced over 4,000 tomatoes. (See fig. 69.) Creationists believe the experiment simulated the pre-Flood atmosphere.
\nFigure 68. HUNDREDS OF TOMATOES<\/p>\n
Sunlight can be collected on rooftops and transmitted through fiber optics to provide light for darkened rooms. In Japan, a tomato plant began to grow rapidly after receiving light from fiber optics. Within a short time, the plant had produced hundreds of tomatoes.
\nFigure 69. THOUSANDS OF TOMATOES<\/p>\n
Several years later, the Japanese tomato plant had reached a height of over 20 feet and produced over 4,000 tomatoes. The fiber-optic device on the rooftop filtered out harmful ultraviolet radiation.
\nFiber-optic sunflowers are being developed for commercial purposes. (See fig. 70.) Plans are being advanced to use the discovery for industrial purposes in growing fresh produce. Such experiments may prove to be beneficial purely from an economical standpoint. During daylight hours, fiber optics may one day be used to supplement electrical lighting systems for homes and businesses.
\nFigure 70. PRODUCE OF THE FUTURE<\/p>\n
In the future, if greenhouses are protected from outside destructive influences and receive filtered light, they likely will produce huge amounts of enormous produce. Such a situation would simulate the pre-Flood environment.
\nThe Pure Light from Heaven
\nHow accurately this illustration portrays Jesus, who is the pure light that comes down from the heavens and illuminates the world.
\nFor the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world (Jn. 6:33 NIV).
\nWhen Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, \u201cI am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life\u201d (Jn. 8:12 NIV).
\nThis is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all (1 Jn. 1:5 NIV).
\nLike fiber optics, we are to be reflectors, carriers of the Light.
\nChapter Twelve
\nThe Collapse of the Canopy
\nWhen Men Began To Grow Old Fast
\nWith the collapse of the canopy at the time of the Flood, ozone began to descend to the Earth. There it was ingested and absorbed into the bloodstream of man and animals. For the first time, greater levels of harmful radiation penetrated the atmosphere, which damaged and destroyed living tissue. As a result, the mutation rate (the rate of harmful changes causing genetic defects) increased, causing the size and strength of various species of plants and animals to deteriorate. Many species became extinct, and man\u2019s life span began a steady decline. After the Flood, the life spans of the patriarchs in the Bible exhibited a slow but steady decline from that of Noah, who lived 950 years; through Salah, who lived 433 years; Abraham, who lived 175 years; Moses, who died an old man at 120 years; and then down to the familiar biblical 70-year life span (Psa. 90:10). The curve of declining longevity after the Flood required over 30 generations and more than 1500 years before the new norm of \u201cthree score and ten\u201d years was reached. (See fig. 71.)
\nFigure 71. THE DECLINE OF LONGEVITY<\/p>\n
For 1600 years\u2014from the creation of Adam until the Flood\u2014men lived nearly 1000 years. After the Flood, a 1500-year decline in man\u2019s life span occurred until it stabilized at the current norm of 70 years.
\nKids Who Look Like Their Great-Grandparents
\nAs sad as death and decay are, no hope exists for the future of mankind, apart from God. Additional environmental problems will continue to surface and cause additional mutational and hereditary defects affecting man\u2019s longevity, size, and appearance. This is the result of the curse, which touches all creation.
\nThe effects of aging can be dramatically seen in the lives of two children\u2014Mickey Hays of Hallsville, Texas, and Fransie Geringer of South Africa. The boys suffer from progeria, a rare aging disease that strikes one in eight million children. (See fig. 72.) Only eight years old, they look like they may be 80. The disease causes the children to age 13 years for each year of their lives.
\nFigure 72. KIDS DYING OLD YOUNG<\/p>\n
Progeria is a rare aging disease that strikes children. For every year an affected child lives, his body ages about 13 years. Children with the disease live only about 20 years.
\nWhen Flesh Will Change in a Flash
\nMan\u2019s only hope for halting the aging process is to be born again. When Jesus returns, He will clothe believers with immortality. He said in John 3:3, \u201c\u2026 I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again\u201d (NIV). One day in the not too distant future, death and decay will be no more.
\nListen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed\u2014in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: \u201cDeath has been swallowed up in victory.\u201d \u201cWhere O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?\u201d (1 Cor. 15:51\u201355 NIV).
\nOn the flip side of the coin, all unrepentant sinners will be confined to the penitentiary of the universe, hell, a place of everlasting death, decay and torment. The citizens of hell will be there because they have chosen to dwell in that place rather than to live with the Creator of the universe. Hell cuts off the sinner forever from the universe in which he has refused to live intelligently.
\nIf we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God (Heb. 10:26\u201327 NIV).
\nChapter Thirteen
\nThe Puzzle of the Big Birds: How Did They Fly?
\nThe Aerodynamics of the Pterodactyls
\nOne marvel of natural history is the gigantic flying reptile called the pterodactyl. They came in a wide variety, such as is the case with man\u2019s best friend, the dog. (See fig. 73.) These large, winged creatures are believed to have been primarily a glider-type bird. Many of these flying reptiles had wingspans of 20 or more feet. The fossilized remains of one pterodactyl were found in West Texas. It had a wingspan of 53 feet; and from its bone structure, its weight was assessed at 450 pounds. We should probably be thankful these creatures are no longer around. They could ruin an afternoon picnic with a sudden, unexpected drop-in.
\nFigure 73. PTERODACTYL FAMILY<\/p>\n
One marvel of natural history is the order of gigantic flying reptiles called pterodactyls, now extinct. They came in a variety of models, like dogs do.
\nThe Problem of Becoming Airborne
\nEvolutionists have not yet satisfactorily explained how these enormous birds could have survived under present environmental conditions. How did these creatures fly? Based upon modern-day atmospheric conditions, mathematic calculations indicate a minimum wind velocity of 25 mph would have been required for these creatures to take flight. This deduction came because they did not have legs that could run as some heavier birds do to help them in becoming airborne. In other words, no matter how long a runway may be, it would not be long enough for a jumbo jet that had no wheels. These birds had feet, but no legs. They didn\u2019t need more runway; they needed more wind. But then more wind could interfere with their safety and with their remaining airborne.
\nSome evolutionists suggested those large birds simply jumped from cliffs; after becoming airborne, they glided on heat thermals caused by the sun heating the Earth. However, the largest reptilian bird fossil find was discovered in an area without cliffs. The problem wasn\u2019t a question of wind, but a question of air, as we shall see.
\nThe Problem of Turbulence
\nUnder present conditions on Earth, such a creature would need a minimum wind velocity of 25 mph just for takeoff. However, the strength of a 25 mph wind would make it very difficult for a bird of this size to maneuver safely and remain airborne. (See fig. 74.) This is the difficulty delicate hang gliders and ultra-light aircraft experience today; they can be literally torn apart in strong turbulence. These light aircraft are prone to structural damage and are unable to maneuver safely in gusty winds.
\nFigure 74. TURBULENCE AND PTERODACTYLS DON\u2019T MIX<\/p>\n
Under the conditions of today\u2019s atmosphere, the minimum 25-mile-per-hour wind velocity required by the pterodactyl for takeoff also would tear it apart in flight. The only conclusion is that the pterodactyl lived under different conditions than the Earth is experiencing today.
\nThe Only Reasonable Solution
\nAll sorts of explanations have been offered by evolutionists. However, there are major problems with each theory. How did these giant gliders fly? The most reasonable solution to the riddle is the canopy.
\nChapter Fourteen
\nA World With Greater Air Pressure
\nAir Has Weight
\nAlthough air is invisible to the human eye, it does have weight that can be measured almost as accurately as iron or lead. Air consists of layers of gases and mixtures of gases, as well as water vapor and solid and liquid particles. A column of air one inch square and 600 miles high, for instance, weighs approximately 15 pounds\u2014about twice as much as a new-born baby. This weight creates what is known as atmospheric pressure, and is referred to on the weather report as the barometric pressure. The weatherman announces, \u201cThe barometric pressure is 29.35 inches of mercury and rising.\u201d
\nMercury is the liquid substance used in a barometer, which is an instrument like an open-ended thermometer. (See fig. 75.) The weight of the air forces the liquid mercury to rise or fall in the glass tube. The barometer detects the slightest change in the weight of the air\u2014or air pressure. In other words, a change in the barometric reading indicates a change in the weight of air. This shift can mean a change in the weather within a few hours or a day. Interestingly, the weightier the air, the more beneficial it is for life.
\nFigure 75. THE BAROMETER<\/p>\n
Air has a weight that can be measured by using a column of mercury. The device used is known as a barometer.
\nSwiss Weather Chalet
\nA Swiss weather chalet is an example of a simple barometer. (See fig. 76.) This miniature of a Swiss chalet has two figurines\u2014a boy and a girl\u2014attached to an arm which can move in and out of the house. The arm is sensitive to change in air pressure. When the barometric pressure rises, the \u201cchildren\u201d go outdoors to play because fair weather is coming When the air pressure falls, the figurines go indoors because the weather is likely to deteriorate.
\nFigure 76. SWISS WEATHER CHALET<\/p>\n
Pre-Flood Atmospheric Pressure
\nThe pre-Flood atmospheric pressure would have been greater due to the additional weight of the surrounding canopy. The canopy of water vapor, which contained enough water to cause rain for 40 days and nights when it came crashing down during the Flood, considerably increased the air pressure at the Earth\u2019s surface (sea level). As a child, did you ever have a 200-pound bully sit on top of you? Your eyes felt as though they were about to pop out of your head and your veins were bulging. (See fig. 77.) This is the kind of effect the canopy would have had as it rested on top of the Earth\u2019s atmosphere. There was actually more air per cubit foot before the Flood than after it.
\nFigure 77. BILLY BULLY AND BULGING BOBBY<\/p>\n
The Crushing Venusian Atmosphere
\nAt the surface of the planet Venus, the atmosphere is clear but extremely dense. The atmospheric pressure, 90 times greater than that near the Earth\u2019s surface, presents an immense technological challenge to spacecraft attempting to probe the surface. Building a spacecraft capable of entering such an atmosphere is something like constructing a submarine able to descend to the depths of the ocean\u2019s floor. The pressure on Venus\u2019 surface is equivalent to that on Earth\u2019s oceans some 3,000 feet below sea level. Descending into the oceans, the pressure doubles about every 33 feet. Likewise, the lower one goes in the atmosphere, the higher the pressure, due to the mass of vapor stacked above. When the vapor canopy was resting on top of the ancient atmosphere, the canopy\u2019s additional weight would have more than doubled the surface pressure we experience today. It has been calculated that the pre-Flood atmospheric pressure would have been about 2\u00bc times greater than that of today. This would have had many positive effects on life, including the ability of the pterodactyl to fly.
\nGiant Birds Took Flight Effortlessly
\nAs previously mentioned, a bird the size of a pterodactyl would need a wind velocity of at least 25 mph to become airborne under current atmospheric conditions. But under the canopy there would not have been winds of great velocity due to the uniform atmospheric weather conditions. The increased air pressure under the canopy would have enabled the pterodactyl to become airborne and to maintain flight with only a 17-mph wind which is considered to be a mild breeze.
\nThis giant bird could have taken off from a standing position with a minimal flapping of its wings. With the greater atmospheric pressure created by the vapor canopy, flight would have been more easily achieved for these largest of the reptilian-like creatures.
\nRunways in the Skies
\nPilots know it is easier to take off at lower altitudes where the air pressure is greater. The increased air per cubic foot translates into more lift for the wings. Where the air is thin (due either to hot, humid weather or high altitudes), airplanes require significantly more runway to take off. For example, Ecuador\u2019s capital, Quito, is almost two miles above sea level in the Andes. The mountains surrounding the city rise an additional mile, making flying in and around the area dangerous. The problem is that the air at 10,000 feet is considerably thin (only about half as much as the air at sea level), making landing and taking off much more hazardous. To maintain flight, a plane must be moving at a higher speed, which makes landing and taking off a treacherous undertaking. At Quito\u2019s airport, a runway several miles long is necessary to give large jet airliners enough time to build speed for takeoff. (See fig. 78.) If the atmospheric pressure were 2\u00bc times greater, as it was before the Flood, it would be far less difficult\u2014as well as much safer\u2014for aircraft to land and to take off.
\nFigure 78. AIRPLANES AND AIR PRESSURE<\/p>\n
Air pressure definitely affects flying. Decreased air pressure (due to higher elevation) dictates that longer distances be used for takeoffs and landings. A small plane requiring a 1,000-foot runway for takeoff at sea level would need a runway almost twice that length at one mile above sea level, if the temperature is the same in both places.
\nDuring the pre-Flood era, it was considerably less laborious for the pteranodon to take off and maintain flight. If these creatures flapped their wings to initiate and maintain flight, the power required would have been tremendous. But the pteranodon and pterosaur would have had an easier time in the pre-Flood atmosphere. Even so, the reptiles\u2019 biomechanical capability for flight would have been pushed near the limit as they grew larger. This may explain why they are extinct today. After the canopy collapsed, the atmospheric conditions were no longer suitable for this type of creature. They were no doubt unable to maneuver in the new environment.
\nAfter leaving the ark, however, they became easy targets for man and beast. Many other large birds have become extinct over the last several centuries, such as the moas of New Zealand and the dodoes of Madagascar mentioned in Chapter Six.
\nChapter Fifteen
\nThe Thunderbird and Other Recent \u201cBig Bird\u201d Sightings
\nWhen Did the \u201cBig Birds\u201d Vanish from the Skies?
\nDid the pterodactyls die out some 65 million years ago as evolutionists believe? Or did they survive Noah\u2019s Flood and die out in more recent days? The following reports pose serious problems for the evolutionist, who has taught that such creatures became extinct millions of years ago\u2014long before man supposedly evolved. It appears such creatures lived on the Earth far more recently than has been presumed; they probably began to fade from the scene after the Flood, due to environmental conditions.
\nFrom Africa
\nHistorical accounts of huge birds are numerous since the time of the Flood. Herodotus, a Greek historian and explorer, tells about flying reptiles sighted in Egypt; the report fits the description of Rhamphorhynchus. (See fig. 79.) The birds portrayed had snakelike bodies and bat-like wings. At the entrance of a gorge, Herodotus saw many bones of these flying reptiles. Aristotle, the Greek philosopher, referred to such creatures existing in Ethiopia.
\nFigure 79. FOURTH-CENTURY B.C. EGYPT<\/p>\n
There are reports of reptile-like birds having existed in Africa in the fourth century B.C. The description sounds amazingly like the now-extinct Rhamphorhynchus.
\nMore Recent Reports from Europe
\nIn the 16th century A.D., an Anglo-Saxon chronicle in Europe reported the sighting of a flying reptile over Mt. Peleges in Switzerland. The account\u2019s description resembles that of a pterodactyl.
\nAccording to a report in The Illustrated London News of Feb. 9, 1856, workmen digging a railway tunnel between the French cities of Nancy and St. Dizier disturbed a strange creature when they blew up an enormous block of stone at Culmont, in Haute Mame. They described the creature as having a very long neck and sharp teeth. It was livid black, looked like a bat, and its membranous skin was thick and oily. On reaching the light, the creature gave some signs of life by shaking its wings, but died soon after, uttering a hoarse cry. Its wingspan measured 3.22 meters, or about 10 feet, 7 inches. A naturalist well-versed in paleontology \u201cimmediately recognized it as belonging to the genus Pterodactylus Anas.\u201d The living creature reportedly matched the many fossil remains of pterodactyls which had been found, so it was dubbed \u201cliving fossil.\u201d
\nNorth American Indian Legends Include Big Bird Citings
\nAn interesting legend from the North American Indians describes high-flying reptiles we call pterodactyls. The Sioux Indians have a legend telling of a huge fowl sighted by a hunting party and struck by lightning. It fits the description of the pterodactyl. It had large claws on its feet and wings, its beak was long and sharp, and it had a bony crest on its head. The men had never seen anything like it. It is this \u201cthunderbird\u201d that Ford Motor Company uses as the name for one of its sports models.
\nA Truly \u201cLiving\u201d Fossil
\nThere are continuous findings of supposedly extinct species, both plant and animal. The coelacanth, a 6-foot fish, was believed to be extinct. (See fig. 80.) Using the evolutionists\u2019 scale, the coelacanth supposedly became extinct during the same general period that these big birds disappeared. However, a few decades ago it was discovered the coelacanth was still being eaten by the natives of East Africa; they had apparently been doing so for generations. The coelacanth was supposed to have been extinct for 60 or 70 million years\u2014according to the evolutionists\u2019 inflated dating of the Earth.
\nFigure 80. A \u201cLIVING\u201d FOSSIL<\/p>\n
Evolutionists thought the coelacanth (a 6-foot fish) had been extinct for 65 million years. But the fish was discovered in East Africa, still eaten by natives. If this fish has been alive all along, two questions remain: How many other creatures may still be alive? How many other evolutionary theories and dates are also erroneous?
\nPterodactyl Tragedy
\nIn 1933, the movie King Kong with its giant Neanderthal baboon, was a smash hit. In the film, a huge pterodactyl was killed by King Kong during one of his many rampages.
\nIn more recent days, another replica of the pterodactyl made its debut, but with the same disastrous results. Paul MacCready constructed the first human-powered plane, which crossed the English Channel in 1979. In 1984, MacCready met with about 30 of America\u2019s top biologists, NASA engineers, paleontologists and inventors. After receiving a grant of a half million dollars, he and his team began reconstructing one of these giant reptilian birds at California Institute of Technology.
\nDuplication was extremely difficult; the pterodactyl was unlike any mechanical airplane. The project was like trying to build and fly a plane backward. The bird had no tail to act as a rudder, but rather, a large head at the end of a long neck that functioned as a stabilizer. (See fig. 81.) Thus, there was a problem with stability and control of the model.
\nFigure 81. A MODERN-DAY PTERODACTYL MODEL<\/p>\n
Trying to construct and fly a model of the pterodactyl is like trying to build and fly a plane backward.
\nPropelling the model was another major problem. It is more simple to construct and use a propeller or a jet. Creating wings that flap is a much more formidable task.
\nAfter six months, testing began on the radio-controlled pterodactyl glider\u2014with fixed wings rather than ones that would flap. The outcome: the glider crashed, forcing designers back to the drawing board. The team of \u201cexperts\u201d claimed the results were identical to those of \u201cmother nature,\u201d who developed and designed the original model some hundreds of millions of years ago. They believed that after each crash, \u201cshe\u201d would begin again to work and perfect the next living model through the process of trial and error. According to evolution, mother nature is a blind, unintelligent chance force that somehow puts all the pieces together just right, never mind from where the pieces came.
\nThe work on the model of the pterodactyl continued, not with blind chance, but with a highly-educated team of men. An automatic pilot was installed in the head, with a remote control radio to direct the flapping of the wings. After several months this more sophisticated model took to the air. The outcome, even with a remote control parachute: the pterodactyl glider crashed to the ground.
\nFinally, after more adjusting, testing and the cost of the project reaching $700,000, it was believed to be ready for public viewing. It was to be the star attraction at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. Tens of thousands of spectators came to see the pterodactyl take to the air after some 65 million years of extinction.
\nThe pterodactyl model had to be towed for takeoff. Once she was released and on her own, her computer brain somehow malfunctioned; again the big bird plummeted to the ground. Even the parachute failed to save it. With broken neck and severed head among the wreckage, the pterodactyl was finally retired to its permanent resting place: the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
\nAfter the last mishap, Paul MacCready stated, \u201cThis (the pterodactyl) is the most complex of any of our aerodynamic challenges. It is really a complex creature when you try to duplicate nature. Airplanes are so simple and dumb compared to the most ordinary bird.\u201d He added that his team was unsuccessful in building a model because, like nature\u2019s original, it was never meant to fly. The pterodactyl became extinct because nature created a misfit unable to survive.
\nThe pterodactyl is extinct, not because the Creator was unable to determine its proper construction, but because the effects of sin are bringing about the extinction of all life on planet Earth.
\nHow foolish is the man who says God is extinct. It is that person, himself, who will become extinct unless he humbles himself before the Almighty and repents of his pride. One day in the not too distant future, God will separate the righteous from the unrighteous.
\n\u201cAll the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, \u2018Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world\u2019 \u201d (Matt. 25:32\u201334 NIV).
\nChapter Sixteen
\nHow Did the \u201cBig Boys\u201d Breathe?
\nGiant Creatures Demand Huge Oxygen Supply
\nChapter six revealed the widespread presence of giantism in the fossil record. Giant dinosaurs weighing over 50 tons were common. Insects with 25-inch wingspans, giant shelled creatures, giant mammals\u2014even giant humans\u2014once lived on the Earth. This is not true today.
\nHow did these gigantic creatures receive enough oxygen for their huge tissue mass? (See fig. 82.) How did insects and animals become so large? How could they obtain sufficient oxygen to maintain their metabolism? This would be impossible in our present atmosphere. For instance, the 100-ton supersaurus\u2019 tiny lungs could never supply enough oxygen to circulate through its entire body in today\u2019s world. It would be like trying to fly a jumbo jet with a Volkswagen engine.
\nFigure 82. THE BIG BOYS<\/p>\n
How did giant creatures like the 100-ton supersaurus supply sufficient oxygen to their tissue mass?
\nAgain, the solution can be found in the greater air pressure of the pre-Flood atmosphere. With a weightier atmospheric pressure, a greater amount of oxygen would be available to the biomass (the skin and tissue) of these giant creatures\u2014allowing them to live longer, healthier lives and to grow larger.
\nHow to Rupture Your Lungs
\nWhen a scuba diver descends 33 feet below the surface of the ocean, his lungs receive twice as much air from the aqualung during each breath than they did at sea level. If the diver descends to 66 feet, his lungs will receive three times as much air; at 99 feet, four times as much air and so on as he descends. (See fig. 83A.) The lungs are able to hold the additional air without difficulty because of the surrounding pressure of the ocean.
\nFigure 83A. UNDERWATER AIR PRESSURE<\/p>\n
Because pressure is greater below the Earth\u2019s surface, a scuba diver breathing at a depth of 99 feet has 4 times the amount of air in his lungs.
\nHowever, if a diver ascends from 100 feet below while holding his breath, his lungs will instantly explode, killing him. The increased air inside the lungs and the sudden decrease of pressure surrounding the body will cause the lungs to rupture. The same will happen if you fill a balloon with helium and release it into the air. As the balloon rises, the air pressure outside the balloon decreases causing the helium inside the balloon to expand until it eventually pops. This is one of the hazards of scuba diving. The remedy is simple: Never hold your breath while scuba diving!
\nThe point is, with the additional pressure in the pre-Flood atmosphere (see fig. 83B), more air was inhaled into the lungs. This made more oxygen available to the blood stream to carry it to all parts of the body.
\nFigure 83B. ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURES<\/p>\n
In the pre-Flood atmosphere, lungs would have held 2\u00bc times more air because air pressure would have been 2\u00bc times greater.
\nGreater Amounts of Oxygen Available
\nWith more atmospheric pressure per cubic foot, more oxygen would press against the biomass of these creatures. To understand this principle, think of a group of children playing football. When they end up in a pile, the ones at the bottom feel more pressure than those in the middle. The canopy of water vapor forced air near the surface of the Earth to have the greatest pressure. The additional oxygen in and around living organisms such as plants and animals was an added benefit.
\nRecent discoveries of air bubbles trapped in amber (fossilized tree resin) contained a 50% higher oxygen concentration than is found today.
\nHow To Breathe Without a Nose
\nAlthough most creatures breathe through their noses, many acquire oxygen by means of their skin tissue. Through a process called infusion, the skin actually absorbs oxygen. The pre-Flood atmosphere supplied a greater amount of oxygen, which supplied the oxygen needed for the tissue masses of the giant creatures.
\nRunning Out of Air
\nTo illustrate the effects of a change in air pressure, all one has to do is travel from sea level to 10,000 feet. While attending Southern California College, I lived 15 minutes from the ocean and about 60 minutes from the San Bernardino mountains, which rise more than 11,000 feet. Occasionally, we had a class retreat in these mountains. Upon arrival, we would breathe the smog-free air scented with pine. Then we would take our luggage up a couple of flights of stairs to our accommodations. We quickly would find ourselves gasping for air, as if we had just run sprints for half an hour. Where did all the air go? The answer is very simple. It was such a nice day that the air decided to spend the day at the beach.
\nHow To Boil the Blood in Your Body At \u221250\u00b0 F
\nWhile visiting the mountains, people soon feel the effects of a lower air pressure. The decrease in air pressure results in a lower oxygen level\u2014and thus, in shortness of breath. In addition, fatigue comes much more quickly when doing physical activities such as running or climbing\u2014or just carrying luggage up a flight of stairs. Many people suffer dizziness and a slight headache at this altitude.
\nAt the top of a 20,000-foot mountain, the lack of oxygen becomes significant, causing many people to experience severe headaches. One cannot remain long at that elevation without supplementary oxygen. At 25,000 feet one struggles for breath. If air pressure decreases too rapidly, gasses might begin to bubble out of the blood\u2014causing the agony of what ocean divers sometimes experience, called \u201cthe bends.\u201d At 30,000 feet, one would lose consciousness for lack of air. At 60,000 feet, the air is so thin that water will boil around 100\u00b0 F. rather than at the normal 212\u00b0 F. at sea level. The change in atmospheric pressure would cause blood to boil within the body.
\nLiving in the positive effects of greater atmospheric pressure, early men could exercise and work for a much longer time without fatigue.
\nWeighing in at 1,200 Pounds
\nExcess weight can be seriously detrimental to one\u2019s health. Recently, it was reported that a man named Walter Hudson weighed in at 1,200 pounds (USA TODAY, 12-24-87). Forty-two years old, he hadn\u2019t been outdoors in 17 years. Perhaps this, in part, helps to explain why giant creatures do not exist today. Giant animals would literally suffocate. There wouldn\u2019t be enough oxygen available to meet the needs of the size of the body. After the Flood, they became sluggish and unable to run. They tired quickly and became defenseless against smaller, faster, stronger prey. (See fig. 84.)
\nFigure 84. WEIGHING IN AT 100 TONS<\/p>\n
After the canopy\u2019s collapse, the weight of many large creatures became detrimental to their health, due to the reduced air pressure of the new climate.
\nPresuming God brought young animals to Noah, dinosaurs were quite small while on the ark. As they entered the post-Flood environment and began to grow, many were unable to survive in a climate with reduced atmospheric pressure. They suffocated or became so disabled that they became easy prey for other meat-eating creatures.
\nChapter Seventeen<\/p>\n
Jessica McClure\u2014National Heroine
\nA 911 58-Hour Rescue
\nSeveral years ago in West Texas, a little girl named Jessica McClure fell into an abandoned oil well. The well was never capped after oil exploration ceased. The hole was only about a foot wide, but 18-month-old Jessica wandered near it and fell to a depth of 20 feet. She remained trapped in the well for 58 hours. (See fig. 85.) The entire nation sat on the edge of their sofas, watching the nationally televised rescue operations. They listened to the microphones that picked up cries of distress from the trapped toddler. The rescue team worked around the clock until they eventually recovered Jessica. She was dazed and hungry, but still alive. During her fall, one of her legs was twisted backward. As a result, the supply of oxygen to her foot was cut off during the 58-hour ordeal. Jessica was rushed to a hospital where they inserted her into a hyperbaric chamber\u2014one in which the air pressure was over three times greater than the normal atmospheric pressure. (See fig. 86.) She received 90-minute doses of this treatment, which forced oxygen into the cells of her body\u2019s extremities\u2014including those in her foot. Eventually, her foot began to respond, and its color returned to normal. Jessica has full use of her leg and foot today.
\nFigure 85. RESCUE OPERATION<\/p>\n
Eighteen-month-old Jessica McClure was rescued after a 52-hour entrapment in an abandoned well.
\nFigure 86. HYPERBARIC HEALING<\/p>\n
A hyperbaric chamber of three atmospheres of pressure aided the recovery of Jessica McClure.
\nHealing in Diving Bells
\nThe biological benefits of higher oxygen pressure were first discovered several years ago in an aquanaut research program. One aquanaut reported that, while submerged in a diving bell at a pressure of several atmospheres, a severe cut on his hand healed completely within 24 hours. (Several atmospheres means that the pressure in the diving bell was several times greater than that at sea level.) It was theorized that the higher pressure forced more oxygen into the tissue surrounding the wound, causing a faster rate of healing. Based on this observation, experiments in hyperbaric surgery were begun with amazing results.
\nIncredible Results of Higher Oxygen Pressure
\nHigher atmospheric pressure has been found to relieve some effects of aging and cure conditions such as gangrene, smoke inhalation and even memory loss associated with strokes. It is not hard to understand how greater air pressure could be related in some way to giantism and the increased longevity evident before the Flood. Research is being continued to learn more about the beneficial effects of higher oxygen pressure.
\nMan was made to live under such conditions. Before the Flood, the air pressure was about 2\u00bc atmospheres. Under such conditions, people would think more efficiently, breathe easier, be able to work harder and longer, sleep better\u2014and have a better appetite. (See fig. 87.)
\nFigure 87. AIR-SUCKING CARBURETOR<\/p>\n
The lung is like a carburetor, which supplies air to the engine for burning fuel. Due to the additional atmospheric pressure before the Flood, the lungs would have been filled with more than twice the amount of air, making extended periods of work and exercise much easier.
\nReptiles continue to grow until death. It is possible that the great size of some dinosaurs indicates longevity. The dinosaurs\u2019 enjoying heightened longevity correlates well with biblical data stating men enjoyed long lives (Gen. 5:11).
\nConclusion
\nThe Earth was once shielded against radiation by the vapor canopy, a thicker and denser layer of ozone, a stronger magnetic field and an enriched diet produced by fertile soil worldwide. Greater atmospheric pressure also allowed living creatures on the Earth to enjoy additional strength, vitality, size and longevity.
\nIn the next chapter, another advantage of the pre-Flood atmosphere will be discussed: humidity.
\nChapter Eighteen
\nMiss Universe Wins Title at Age 80
\nSounds Like Tabloid Material
\nHave you ever heard of a woman competing in a beauty contest at the age of 40? What about age 50, 60, or even 65? I read a true story about an 80-year-old woman who was very attractive physically. No, it wasn\u2019t someone who had cosmetic surgery or a dozen face-lifts to remove wrinkles and sagging skin. By now you must think that I probably have been down to the local market and picked up the latest \u201cnut, flake, and fruitcake\u201d tabloids one sees at the checkout counter. (See fig. 88.) (It amazes me that there is a market for such material.) No, the following quotation is not out of some tabloid newsmagazine, but from the Word of God:
\nAs he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, \u201cI know what a beautiful woman you are. When the Egyptians see you, they will say, \u2018This is his wife.\u2019 Then they will kill me but will let you live. Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.\u201d When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that she was a very beautiful woman. And when Pharaoh\u2019s officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into his palace (Gen. 12:11\u201315 NIV).
\nFigure 88. THE TABLOID GAZETTE<\/p>\n
How Young Was Sarah?
\nGenesis 17:17 settles the question of Abraham and Sarah\u2019s age. \u201cAbraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, \u2018Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?\u2019 \u201d Sarah, then, was about ten years younger than Abraham. When they went to Egypt, Sarah was about 65 years of age and was still considered attractive. Years later, when Sarah was in her 80s, she and Abraham met an Amorite sheik, the king of Gerar. Again we find Abraham deceiving the king about his wife, telling the people that she was his sister (Gen. 20). The king wanted Sarah to be a part of his harem, and it almost cost Abraham his life. Nevertheless, the fact that the king would even consider her to be one of his concubines suggests something very unusual about her 80-year-old complexion.
\nSarah\u2019s beauty at 80 simply reflected the attributes of the pre-Flood atmosphere. In that era, the physical body aged much more slowly. This continued for several centuries after the Flood, until the full effects of the post-Flood environment began to overshadow and dominate the physical world.
\nWoman Gives Birth to Son at Age of 90
\nAt the age of 89, when most modern-day women are residing at the local cemetery, Sarah became pregnant. She had a surprise baby at age 90. Since Sarah had not been able to conceive previously, Issac was a miracle baby. However, since Sarah was 90 and was even able to give birth, no doubt, this is an indication that the rate of aging was slower during that time.
\nWhen Sarah died at the age of 127, Abraham was 137. He apparently felt he still had time to raise a second family; so he remarried. His second wife, Keturah, bore him six sons (Gen. 25:1\u20132) and possibly an unrecorded number of daughters. After Job\u2019s trials ended, he was 70; yet he subsequently had another ten children. Here again is another indication that the world was vastly different in the past than it is at present.
\nAn 85-Year-Old Active General
\nOne unusual aspect regarding early man\u2019s strength and vitality pertains to Caleb, an Israelite general. At 85, he was an acting field commander. In today\u2019s American army, field command is denied to generals over the age of 55 on the grounds that they lack the necessary physical endurance and stamina.
\nChapter Nineteen
\nHumidity, That Dirty Ol\u2019 Word
\nThe Value of Humidity
\nThe pre-Flood vapor canopy that encircled the Earth caused the atmosphere to be considerably more humid than that of our present atmosphere. It is a well-established fact that greater humidity retards the effects of aging on the skin. That is why the marketing of skin creams, salves and lotions is a multibillion dollar enterprise. Everyone wants to remain youthful looking. People who have lived outdoors much of their lives\u2014such as the American Indians, gypsies and the nomadic tribes of the East\u2014have endured the sun, wind and weather. If they lived in an area with little humidity, they exemplify how the elements of nature can age a person\u2019s skin. (See fig. 89.) Humidity is a key in slowing the appearance of age.
\nFigure 89. THE LEATHERY LOOK<\/p>\n
Sun, wind and weather can significantly increase wrinkles and the appearance of age.
\nGrowing Old Slowly or Slowly Growing Old
\nBefore the Flood, the average age (omitting the highest and the lowest ages) for fathering children was 124 years. After the Flood, the average age (again omitting the highest and the lowest ages) was 36. That\u2019s a difference of 88 years, which is amazing. In the pre-Flood days, their bodies took longer to mature, but on the other hand they could reproduce for a much longer period. Noah fathered children at the age of 500.
\nThe Book of Jashar
\nThe Book of Jashar, is mentioned twice in the Bible:
\nSo the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, til the nation avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day (Josh. 10:13 NIV).
\nThe writer of the book of Samuel also refers to the Book of Jashar, (2 Sam. 1:18). These writers are saying, in essence, that the reader can find these same facts in the Book of Jashar. The fact that the Bible makes reference to the book lends credibility to its reliability and accuracy.
\nThe Book of Jashar contains a very interesting passage concerning the longevity of man:
\nAnd to Eber were born two children; the name of one was Peleg for in his day the sons of men were divided and in the later days, the earth was divided. And the name of the second was Yoktan, meaning that in his day the lives of the sons of men were diminished and lessened.
\nIn the Talmud, a historical and religious document containing Jewish traditions, we find a similar account:
\nThe brother of Peleg was called Joktan, because the duration of the life of man was shortened in his time.
\nBoth of these extra-biblical references make mention of the fact that at a time in Earth\u2019s distant past, a different set of conditions governed the physical characteristics of mankind. Man once lived in a world that was perfect in every way; but when the environment became harsh and severe, the physical bodies of men suffered deterioration.
\nAfter the Flood, the conditions on the Earth were such that God issued a new command to help offset the negative effects \u201cThou shall not live on vegetables alone\u201d (Gen. 9:3 DGL version).
\nThe Post-Flood Command to Eat Meat
\nEverything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything (Gen. 9:3 NIV).
\nAs much as I enjoy Texas barbecued beef, I can\u2019t imagine eating a diet of only bird seed, garbanzo beans and other leafy foliations. I loved to watch Popeye cartoons as a child, but I still had a difficult time swallowing that vitamin-enriched, slimy seaweed\u2014spinach. I was shouting, \u201cWhere\u2019s the beef?\u201d long before the little old lady on the TV advertisement ever thought about doing so.
\nNevertheless, man did not eat meat before the Flood. In Genesis 1:29\u201330, God mentioned only seed-bearing vegetation in reference to man\u2019s diet; but after the Flood, God issued a new dietary plan that included meat\u2014and even identified the animals to be eaten (Leviticus).
\nIt appears God was providing an additional means of sustenance for strengthening mankind to permit his survival in a much more hostile environment\u2014one with ravaging storms and extremes in temperature. God foresaw that man would require additional nourishment.
\nThe Cause of Brittle Bones
\nA vegetarian diet fails to provide all the nutrition we need. Not only do plants fail to furnish the full range of complex proteins we need, but vegetarian diets also fail to supply other essentials, such as magnesium.
\nSeveral years ago a young runner, a vegetarian, broke a bone. The bone refused to heal. Research revealed that his magnesium levels were similar to those of older women whose bones lose their calcium. Further studies revealed that the major reason women suffer from brittle bones more than men is that they don\u2019t eat as much meat as men. Meat is one of the best sources of magnesium, which is related to calcium.
\nToday, supplemental vitamins are available to help meet the nutritional needs of the body. But when God extended the diet of man to include meat, it was to help him maintain a strong and sturdy physical structure. Nevertheless, the effects of the curse continue. Man will keep on deteriorating in size, strength, longevity and mental recall capabilities though such effects can be overcome to a degree by supplementing one\u2019s diet with nutritional aids.
\nOne reason for the deterioration of man\u2019s memory can be attributed to a decline in the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This subject will be our next topic of discussion.
\nChapter Twenty
\nFood for the Giants: Carbon Dioxide
\nAnyone Care for a Breath of Fresh CO2?
\nI recently heard an interesting story. A resident of Los Angeles, California, passed out while visiting our campus in Dallas. His friend, who was accompanying him, quickly inserted an exhaust pipe of a car into his friend\u2019s mouth. After several gulps of exhaust fumes, the man recovered. Upon reviving, the man exclaimed he wasn\u2019t accustomed to the Texas fresh air.\u2026 As humorous as this may sound and as miserable as smog may be, the exhaust from factories and automobiles does contain a by-product valuable to mankind: carbon dioxide (CO2), the same gas that humans exhale. (See fig. 90.) In other words, the great amounts of fossil fuels\u2014such as coal, oil and gasoline\u2014being burned for industry and automobiles are, in some ways, an advantage. We hear about all the negative effects of CO2 on our environment, but some advantages do exist: greater plant growth and less human brain deterioration.
\nFigure 90. THE CARBON DIOXIDE (CO2) MOLECULE<\/p>\n
Plants Are in Love With CO2
\nOne reason for giantism before the Flood, especially in the plant world, was the higher level of carbon dioxide (CO2). The fossil record reveals that in the pre-Flood world there were greater levels of CO2. Plants soak up huge amounts of CO2 during spring and summer. With the year-round growing season before the Flood, plants would have absorbed even greater amounts than they do today. This enriched CO2 atmosphere definitely would have had a positive effect upon humans, as well.
\nCO2 is the gas that plant life thrives on, just as humans thrive on oxygen. What if plants and animals were in competition with each other for oxygen? No, God has designed the two kingdoms: the one of the plants and the one of the beast, birds, insects, fish and man to be in harmony with each other, so both can provide for the other. (See fig. 91.)
\nFigure 91. COMPLEMENTARY FACTORIES: MAN, ANIMAL AND PLANT<\/p>\n
Plants are chemical factories that pick up carbon dioxide, a waste product that both man and animal exhale. Plants convert carbon dioxide into oxygen, which both man and animal require for survival. The exchange of gases between plant and animal kingdoms obviously was designed for the express purpose of making the Earth hospitable to life.
\nToday, there is very little CO2 in the atmosphere (less than one percent) despite the great amounts of fossil fuels being consumed in the form of coal and petroleum, which add to the overall percentage levels of CO2. However, before the Flood the CO2 level is believed to have been about 15 times greater than that at present. The fossil record clearly indicates this reality. Revelation has come from the giant redwood trees found fossilized. Measurements of carbon taken from their remains reveal that the Earth\u2019s atmosphere once had a greater supply of CO2. Thus, more CO2 in the air means a bigger blessing for the growth of all plant life. The greater growth and size of plant life means more oxygen for birds, animals and humans. More oxygen for animals and humans means healthier bodies and increased mental capabilities.
\nAnother Look at the Greenhouse Effect
\nIn the air, CO2 absorbs heat. A greater amount of CO2 in the atmosphere would ultimately result in higher temperatures and humidities\u2014even in the polar regions. Based on the samples of the fossilized redwoods previously mentioned and other flora found in Iceland, Greenland and Siberia, the surface temperature in these high latitudes was approximately 60\u00b0 F. during the life of the plants. This would have been the temperature before Noah\u2019s Flood.
\nToday redwood trees require a humid climate in which the daily and annual temperature ranges are small. Additional CO2 in the atmosphere would provide the climate needed for these trees to thrive. In fact, fossilized redwoods in Colorado have rings three times as far apart as present-day California redwoods. (See fig. 92.) This reflects greater amounts of CO2 and H20 in the atmosphere, allowing plants to thrive.
\nFigure 92. RINGS AROUND THE REDWOODS<\/p>\n
The rings of fossilized redwoods reveal that the Earth\u2019s atmosphere once contained a greater amount of CO2, inducing healthier and larger trees, plants and human beings.
\nThe Great CO2 Sponge\u2014the Oceans
\nThe reduction of CO2 in the atmosphere happened after the Flood, when a decline in the temperatures of the oceans occurred. The oceans became colder. The more frigid the ocean temperature, the less CO2 will remain in the atmosphere. Cold oceans absorb CO2 right out of the atmosphere like an ink blotter absorbs ink. It is believed oceans have dropped in average water temperature from a pre-Flood 60\u00b0 F. to the current 38\u00b0 F. This change is the primary cause for the depletion of CO2 from the atmosphere after the Flood. It is also the reason there is so little CO2 in our atmosphere today, although a tremendous increase in the burning of fossil fuels has occurred. Fresh and saltwater seas and the oceans absorb about 70% more CO2 than they did before the Flood. (See fig. 93.)
\nFigure 93. CO2 ABSORPTION CYCLE<\/p>\n
The oceans absorb CO2 from the atmosphere. The cooler the oceans\u2019 temperatures, the greater their absorption rate.
\nThe absorption of CO2 by the oceans is not without design and purpose. The all-wise God set in motion new laws and cycles to maintain life after the Flood. Plants thrive on CO2 and discharge oxygen, which all fish, animals, birds, and humans require for life. Sea plants\u2014such as algae, plankton, and kelp\u2014thrive on CO2, which, in turn, enriches both the sea and air with oxygen for fish and mammals to survive.
\nFurthermore, it is also believed that the oceans were considerably smaller in size before the Flood than they are today.
\nO2, CO2 and the Human Brain
\nAfter the Flood, the oceans began to absorb CO2 from the atmosphere. This resulted in an acceleration of the aging process. Oxygen is extremely important to the brain. (See fig. 94.) Without a sufficient supply of oxygen, the brain begins to age rapidly and will die. A stroke is a prime example of what can happen to the brain when deprived of oxygen.
\nFigure 94. O2, CO2 AND THE HUMAN BRAIN<\/p>\n
An extensive network of blood vessels crisscrosses the brain like a well-plotted transportation system. The blood vessels function as pipelines by supplying the brain with oxygen. CO2 assists in maintaining firmness and rigidness in these \u201cpipelines.\u201d When vessels become too limp and relaxed, they collapse; consequently, blood flow is restricted. The pre-Flood concentration of CO2 was greater than today\u2019s, and thus, was very beneficial to man\u2019s physical welfare.
\nOn the other hand, the beneficial effects of CO2 on the brain are not widely understood by the general public. A drop in CO2 in the atmosphere results in vasodilation (a widening of blood vessel cavities), which causes a relaxation of the blood vessels. This in turn restricts the amount of oxygen supplied to the brain. A lack of CO2, then, adversely effects blood vessels\u2014the lifelines in supplying oxygen to the brain. A reduction in the amount of oxygen to brain cells is considered a major cause of aging and the diseases associated with aging.
\nPerhaps laboratory testing of animals and plants under enriched CO2 and H2O conditions will produce extended life spans and larger and more abundant produce to meet the world\u2019s food needs. Architecture for the 21st century may change drastically if results are positive. Insurance companies will have to rewrite their term life insurance policies if man begins to live an extra 10\u2013100 years.
\nAugustine, an early Church father, predicted 15 centuries ago that giantism and longevity would be understood by some future age:
\nBut, as I have said, the bones which are from time to time discovered prove the size of the bodies of the ancients, and will do so to future ages \u2026 But the length of an antediluvian\u2019s life cannot now be proved by any such monumental evidence.
\nIn Summary \u2026
\nSeveral possible explanations for the size and longevity of the ancients have been cited:
\n1. Shielding from deadly radiation coming from outer space by the water vapor canopy (H2O), a thicker ozone layer (O3) and stronger magnetic field;
\n2. Greater atmospheric pressure (2\u00bc times), which provided additional oxygen to living organisms;
\n3. Increased levels of humidity (H2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2), which slowed the aging and maturing process; and
\n4. Fertile soil and enriched diets. In the future, many additional reasons why the ancients grew larger and lived longer may eventually come to light.
\nChapter Twenty-One
\nRecurrence of a Greenhouse Effect
\nIs the Earth Getting Warmer?
\nToday\u2019s society is greatly concerned about the relentless rise of CO2 into the atmosphere, caused by the burning of huge amounts of coal and petroleum by automobiles and industries. The rise in CO2 will result in heat being absorbed by the atmosphere, which in turn may cause another greenhouse effect.
\nSuch a warming trend would disrupt life today. But before the Flood, there wouldn\u2019t have been the same problems. The greenhouse effect had been in continuous operation since creation. The concerns today about global warming involve changes that would affect the entire Earth\u2019s weather, harvests, sea level, temperature, rain, etc.
\nSince 1958, scientists on Hawaii\u2019s Mauna Loa, two miles above sea level, have recorded a steady increase in the global concentration of CO2. (See fig. 95.) The decade of the \u201980s saw the six warmest years in weather records. If predictions are correct, the Earth\u2019s temperature will continue to rise\u2014by about 5\u00b0 F. over the next 50 years. This could prove disastrous to the economy of the world. (See fig. 96.) Cities like Denver, Colorado, would go from 33 to 68 days of 90\u00b0 F. plus per year; Washington, D.C., from 36 to 87; and Dallas, Texas, would jump from 100 days to 162. (See fig. 97.)
\nFigure 95. THE WARMING OF OUR WORLD CO2<\/p>\n
The levels of CO2 concentration recorded at Mauna Loa, Hawaii, reveal that there is a steady increase of CO2 in the Earth\u2019s atmosphere each year. Many scientists say this increase is caused by the burning of fossil fuels. It may lead to higher global temperatures and significant climatic change.
\nFigure 96. GLOBAL TEMPERATURE RISE<\/p>\n
Global temperature change is like bank interest on a loan: over a period of time, a slight change can make a big difference. Since the mid-1800s, increasing industrialization has caused a continual rise in the average global temperature. The projected rise to the year 2040 is illustrated in the above graph.
\nFigure 97. FUTURE HEAT WAVES<\/p>\n
The Real Problem: Man-Made Pollutants
\nThe problem isn\u2019t so much with the additional CO2 being released into the atmosphere. The source of the trouble lies in man-made pollutants, which have a far greater potential to cause change in the atmosphere. CH4 (methane), which is released from farms, has a heat absorption rate 20\u201330 times greater than that of CO2. N20 (nitrous oxide) from autos and chemical fertilizers is 200 times more heat absorbing than CO2. And as previously mentioned, CFCs can absorb 16,000 times more heat than CO2. (See fig. 98.) These gases act as a blanket around the atmosphere, trapping heat that would normally be released into space each night.
\nFigure 98. HEAT ABSORPTION RATE OF MAN-MADE POLLUTANTS<\/p>\n
Some scientists link the recent rise of global warmth to carbon dioxide and the heat-absorbing gases that humans have released into the atmosphere.
\nMelting of the Polar Caps
\nThere is concern that a warmer atmosphere also could cause the oceans to increase slightly in temperature, affecting the ice on Greenland and Antarctica. The seas would gradually creep higher onto the edges of the continents.
\nLarge parts of such low countries as Bangladesh\u2014already swept by ruinous floods and typhoons\u2014would be submerged; cities like Miami, Venice, even New York, would cower behind dikes.
\nIf the ice cap on the island of Greenland were to melt completely, glaciologists estimate the oceans would rise another 20 feet. Sea level in the eastern United States has already risen a foot in this century alone, and it is predicted to go up at least another foot in the century ahead. With that one-foot rise, Leatherman says, the high-water line at Ocean City, Maryland, will move inland 100 to 200 feet; in Florida, 200 to 1,000 feet; in Louisiana, several miles (National Geographic, Oct. 1990). (See fig. 99.)
\nFigure 99. THE RISING OCEANS<\/p>\n
If melting polar ice caused ocean levels to rise only a few feet, a worldwide disaster would result.
\nIt is almost beyond our imagination to comprehend the amount of ice on Antarctica. The same amount of ice covering North America would reach a depth of five miles. If this expanse of ice were to melt, the level of the world\u2019s oceans would rise by approximately 200 feet.
\nPlanet Earth in Danger
\nNever in the history of mankind has life seemed so near the brink of disaster. This, of course, was predicted by our Lord Jesus, Who said that just before He returns the world would be experiencing major problems.
\nFor then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now\u2014and never to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened (Matt. 24:21, 22 NIV).
\nChapter Twenty-Two
\nThe Origins of Astrology
\nGod Is the Creator of the Stars
\nThe histories of astrology and of the worship of the stars and their origins support the theory of the canopied Earth, which prevented man from viewing the heavens before the time of the Flood.
\nThe Bible reveals that God created and placed the heavenly bodies. In the book of Job, God is identified as the Author, both of constellations and of individual stars.
\nHe is the Maker of the Bear and Orion (see fig. 100.), the Pleiades and the constellations of the south (Job 9:9 NIV).
\nBy his breath the skies became fair; his hand pierced the gliding serpent (Job 26:13 NIV).
\n\u201cCan you bind the beautiful Pleiades? Can you loose the cords of Orion? Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons or lead out the Bear with its cubs? Do you know the laws of the heavens? Can you set up God\u2019s dominion over the earth?\u201d (Job 38:31\u201333 NIV)
\nFigure 100. ORION<\/p>\n
The celestial beauty of the constellation Orion and its silhouetted horse head is a spectacle to behold. It is mentioned in scripture.
\nCreated for \u201cSigns\u201d and for \u201cSeasons\u201d
\nWhat did God mean when He said the stars were to be used for \u201csigns\u201d as well as for \u201cseasons\u201d (Gen. 1:14)? Since God does nothing without a holy purpose, we can be sure the signs in the heavens were not astrological symbols. God\u2019s Word, in fact, forbids the practice of astrology (e.g., Isa. 47:12\u201314), which has long been associated with evolutionary pantheism and occultism.
\nA sign is a beacon that points toward something else\u2014such as a road sign which directs the way to a town. Its purpose is to help one locate or identify. Apparently the stars were intended to be signs in the heavens that would focus attention on matters of major importance. None of the constellations named in Job are the twelve major signs of the zodiac (see fig. 101), though all are related in some way to one of these signs.
\nFigure 101. THE SIGNS OF ZODIAC<\/p>\n
The signs of the zodiac are imaginary shapes of beings and creatures built around 12 constellations. God\u2019s original purpose for the stars was that they serve as \u201csigns\u201d and \u201cseasons\u201d. The stars were never meant to guide men\u2019s lives. Some Christian commentators have suggested that the stars were created to proclaim the Gospel.
\nSatan: The Counterfeiter
\nThe 12 signs of the zodiac and their 36 \u201cdecans\u201d have been corrupted over the centuries of time into the pagan system of astrology. The first copyright violator was Satan. He has no creative ability, so he must resort to counterfeiting. He has perverted the reason for the stars, tempting man to look to them for purpose and direction in life. He uses this system of signs and seasons, based on an astrological chart of demonic power and deception, to divert man\u2019s attention from God.
\nFor many centuries, astrologers have misused the signs in the stars. However, because the devil uses these signs for his purposes does not mean that they have always been employed for evil. The fact that God created them indicates they do have value in His plan.
\nThe Gospel in the Stars
\nIt seems that the figures related to the constellations symbolized to the ancient patriarchs God\u2019s purposes in creation and His promises of a coming Redeemer. All the ancient civilizations not only knew of these symbolic figures, but attributed spiritual significance of some sort to them.
\nEvidence indicates that the heavenly emblems connected with the stars were fashioned to relate a message about the Creator\u2019s plans for mankind. For example, Virgo may refer to Christ being born of a virgin. Orion depicts Christ as the hunter. (See fig. 102.) The scales indicate Christ\u2019s judgment on the last day. (See fig. 103.) The astronomer, Maunder, along with many other 20th-century Christian students of antiquities, believed that many of these \u201csigns\u201d did demonstrate God\u2019s promises to His people.
\nFigure 102. ORION, THE HUNTER<\/p>\n
Orion, the mighty hunter, once may have symbolized Christ as the Hunter Who defeats and conquers His enemies.
\nFigure 103. LIBRA, THE SCALES<\/p>\n
The scales of Libra may represent Christ as the righteous judge, Who will judge the works of every man and woman.
\nThe Star of Bethlehem may have appeared in the constellation Virgo (a virgin and a child), which would have given the wise men clues to its meaning. (See fig. 104.) If God were ever to use His creation to communicate a message. He would certainly do so with the most important message of all time: God Himself becoming incarnate in human flesh.
\nFigure 104. VIRGO, THE VIRGIN<\/p>\n
The Virgin Birth is foundational to Christian doctrine. The woman configured in this constellation may refer to Christ being born of a virgin.
\nSince we now have God\u2019s written Word, this ancient message written in the stars is no longer needed (Heb. 1:1\u20132). To early generations, however, it may have served as a memory device, continually calling to mind the promises of God. After the world was destroyed in the great Flood, the message in the starry heavens may have conveyed God\u2019s promises to future generations\u2014at least until enough of the written Word was available to make heavenly signs no longer necessary.
\nIt may be impossible to recover fully this long-forgotten \u201cGospel in the stars.\u201d However, some people are attempting to do such.
\nIn any case, the heavens are still declaring the glory of God (Ps. 19:1), and the Lord Jesus Christ is the brightness of His glory (Heb. 1:3). \u201cFor God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ\u201d (2 Cor. 4:6 KJV).
\nThe Beginning of Astrology and Star Worship
\nThe canopy surrounding the Earth would have affected the visual appearance of the heavens. With the collapse of the canopy at the time of the Flood, the sun and stars would have become clearly visible for the first time.
\nThe canopy surrounding the Earth would have affected the visual appearance of the heavens. With the collapse of the canopy at the time of the Flood, the sun and stars would have become clearly visible for the first time.
\nIf the canopy theory is true, one would expect the canopy\u2019s collapse to have left a significant mark in the historical records of ancient civilizations. This is exactly the case.
\nExtensive evidence of a \u201cnew sun,\u201d which coincided with the appearance of new stars, exists in the cultural memories of the ancient civilizations. These reports are termed myths by the secular educators of our day. It is significant that the first form of religious rebellion against God after the Flood centered on astrology and the Tower of Babel (Gen. 2). (See fig. 105.)
\nFigure 105. TOWER OF BABEL<\/p>\n
It is significant that the first post-Flood rebellion against God centered on astrology and the Tower of Babel (Gen. 11).
\nSome creationists believe the canopy was somewhat translucent, allowing stars, the sun, moon and planets to be visible to the naked eye. There is no way to know for sure the accuracy of this view. However, there is a common thread in most of the myths of the ancients: the worship of the sun. In many of these myths the worship of the sun was preceded by worship of the sky god, the water heaven or an inferior light. The myths often presented the sun replacing a former sunlight.
\nEgypt\u2019s religion revolved around the worship of the sun god. In Greece, the former sun was replaced by the present sun after the banishment of the water heaven. The same has been found to be true in the religions of the Buddhists of India and of Persia, the Mayas of Central America and the aborigines of Sarawak. The Indians of South America believed in a \u201cwater sun\u201d; this sun existed in the \u201cfirst age,\u201d which ended by a flood.
\nThus, the collapse of the canopy would explain the sudden burst of sun worship throughout the world. Within 150 years after the Flood, the entire human race was immersed in astrology and sun worship.
\nThe Sun: God\u2019s Greatest Rival in Nature
\nPerhaps it was the realization that the great ball of light, the sun, would be one of His greatest rivals throughout time, which inspired God to create the sun on the fourth day of creation rather than on the first. The theory of evolution suggests the sun came first, then the Earth and planets. God created the plants before He created the sun, which reveals the insignificance of the sun in sustaining life. God doesn\u2019t need the sun. One day, in the new creation, there will be no sun; the light that is provided will come from God Himself (Rev. 22:5).
\nThe \u201cInfluence\u201d of the Stars
\nThe Mesopotamians believed the stars were gods who controlled man\u2019s destiny. Sumerians perceived a regularity in the groupings of stars, and used their knowledge of stellar movements to help mark the passage of the seasons and fix the times for planting and harvesting. Assyrians, who assumed the stars determined man\u2019s fate, regarded planetary movement into various constellations as omens of good or evil.
\nAt the time of Christ, people all over the world considered stars important. Following the pattern described by Paul in Romans 1:18\u201332, it would have been inevitable for people to begin worshiping the sun, moon, planets and stars. Given the \u201cpersonal\u201d nature of the sun, it was natural for men to view \u201chim\u201d as a victor in a celestial battle.
\nThe wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God\u2019s invisible qualities\u2014his eternal power and divine nature\u2014have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
\nFor although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
\nTherefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator\u2014who is forever praised. Amen.
\nBecause of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.
\nFurthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know God\u2019s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them (Rom. 1:18\u201332 NIV).
\nThe Erecting of Temple Towers
\nStar worship became widespread after the Flood. This form of idolatry was frequently associated with ziggurats, or \u201ctemple towers.\u201d After the Flood, the next historical event recorded in the Bible was the rebellion at Babel and its association with a tower.
\nFrom the historical records uncovered at Babylon, we find the zodiac and star worship closely related to demonic activity and that it had a prominent place in society. The worship of the stars became a religion worldwide within 150 years after the Flood. It was believed the celestial bodies were gods who affected the lives of men and conditions on Earth. The sun and the signs of the zodiac were deified and utilized to guide people\u2019s lives.
\nThe Purpose of the Tower
\nThe Tower of Babel promised to be the masterpiece of world architecture. Records reveal that over 26 tons of gold were used in its construction. Babel was also to be the political and religious capital of the world\u2014and the tower, a place of reaching into the heavens (Gen. 11:4). This reaching into the heavens was not a literal climbing up into the heavens, but making contact with the spiritual realm\u2014with the creatures of the fallen spiritual world. Fallen man had learned how to contact the fallen demonic realm. God saw what man was attempting to do and said,
\n\u2026 \u201cIf as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.\u201d So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city (Gen. 11:6\u20138 NIV).
\nHistory Does Repeat Itself
\nToday we see man once again looking to the heavens, instead of to God, for direction and meaning in life. Adherence to the occult and astrology are rampant today. On top of that, evolutionary scientists are claiming that man originated from the stars\u2014that every atom within him originated in some star.
\nNot only is 20th-century man paying reverence to the stars, but he is attempting to build a structure to draw all men together: the United Nations.
\nThe signatories of the Declaration by United Nations also subscribed to a \u201ccommon program of purposes and principles\u201d embodied in the Atlantic Charter, which envisaged a peace affording to all peoples security from aggression, freedom to choose their own government, access on equal terms to the trade and raw materials of the world, improved labor standards, freedom from fear and want, and freedom of the seas. The nations of the world, the charter asserted, \u201cmust come to abandonment of the use of force.\u201d (The Encyclopedia Americana 1957, 304)
\nThe vision of the U.N.\u2019s members as stated above seems a noble one. The problem is that the world is looking to elevating man rather than God, just as was the case at the building of the Tower of Babel.
\nThe recent war in the Middle East involving Kuwait and Iraq (the location of ancient Babylon) will likely prompt a resurgence of the United Nations. To prevent such aggressions from occurring, the nations will be open to \u201ca new world order.\u201d Some person or organization must be in power in order even to attempt world peace. Could the U.N. or someone in it be the world dictator prophesied in the Bible? There can be no true and lasting peace until Christ returns and restores order.
\nThe Dispersion of the People
\nShortly after God entered the picture and divided the people into language groups, men began to scatter throughout the world. They took with them what they had learned about the occult and the mystical arts associated with it, as well as knowledge of how to contact these fallen demonic creatures. Soon they started to duplicate the Tower of Babel, reconstructing such pyramid-like structures. Thousands of these pyramid forms have been found throughout the world. (See fig. 106.)
\nFigure 106. THE SPREADING OF THE PYRAMIDS<\/p>\n
Shortly after the building and the dividing of the nations, pyramids began to be erected around the world.<\/p>\n
As previously mentioned, the first event of worldwide significance recorded in the Bible after the Flood was the rebellion at the Tower of Babel. Scripture does not mention astrology or sun worship before the Flood. Yet men suddenly began to worship the sun and stars. Could it be that the appearance of the heavens changed? This seems to supply a satisfactory answer.
\nThe apostle Paul clearly explained how the true story related by the sons of Noah became perverted into the worship of idols\u2014the stars.
\nFor although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles (Rom. 1:21\u201323 NIV).
\nPost-Flood mankind knew all about the true God. From Noah\u2019s sons, men learned that the deluge had been an act of judgment. Noah was still living during Abraham\u2019s life and Noah\u2019s son, Shem, was still alive during Jacob\u2019s day. But because of pride, humans foolishly continued to worship the creation rather than the Creator.
\nChapter Twenty-Three
\nNoah\u2019s Drunkenness
\nWho Would Have Believed It?
\nWhen he (Noah) drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent (Gen. 9:21 NIV).
\nNoah was considered\u2014by God Himself\u2014to be the only righteous man on the face of the Earth (Gen. 6:5\u20139). He had just witnessed the most amazing intervention of God in Earth\u2019s history. Noah had experienced a miraculous preservation in the midst of a holocaust (Gen. 8). He walked with God and built an altar for worship (Gen. 8:20). Noah had just talked personally with the Lord regarding the establishment of the covenant (Gen. 9:9\u201317). Question: How could a man act with such uncharacteristic and undignified behavior?
\nWhat explanation might be given on Noah\u2019s behalf? Was he in some kind of depression? Was he being attacked by the enemy? Did he lose self-control? What possible solution can we find that might give us some clue for his behavior? And why there is no indication of a rebuke or moral condemnation of his activity from God?
\nAnother Look At Pre-Flood Atmospheric Pressure
\nLet us reconsider our theory of the canopy for a moment, particularly the atmospheric pressure. As previously mentioned, the pre-Flood atmospheric pressure was about 2\u00bc times greater than afterward. This atmospheric pressure difference would have considerably increased the fermentation rate of grapes after the Flood. When fermentation occurs, CO2 is allowed to escape from the grapes. The greater the air pressure, the more CO2 is prevented from escaping.
\nFor example, as long as a soda bottle remains capped, the CO2 gas will not escape. However, removing the cap allows the gas to escape, and the soda will lose its fizz. The canopy acted as a type of cap. The higher air pressure slowed the release of CO2, which slowed the fermentation process.
\nNoah Caught Off-Guard
\nIn other words, it would have taken wine longer to ferment before the Flood. Once the canopy disappeared, the fermentation rate of wine accelerated. Noah may not have expected this change and may have been caught off guard.
\nOne may insist that Noah could have gauged how much fermentation had taken place by the taste. Perhaps he did. Before the Flood he may have drunk juice fermented to the same degree, but it had not affected him. Tests have revealed that drunkenness occurs more rapidly at higher elevations\u2014where the air pressure is not as great\u2014than it does at sea level. The barometric pressure would have been lowered considerably after the Flood. Drinking alcohol in the pre-Flood atmosphere would have been like a man today drinking at sea level. On the other hand, drinking in the post-Flood atmosphere would be like a person drinking today at an elevation of 10,000 feet or more, where the air pressure is 2\u00bc times less than at sea level.
\nAltitude and Alcohol Don\u2019t Mix
\nWhen the waters of the Flood abated, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. In this region of the world, the base of the mountains begins on a high plateau over 3,000 feet above sea level. Mt. Ararat has two peaks: one 16,916 feet high, the other 12,840 feet. They share a common base up to about 8,800 feet. Not only was the atmospheric pressure 2\u00bc times less at sea level after the Flood, but Noah most likely was not at sea level. He was probably living at least several thousand feet above sea level in the high regions of the Ararat Mountains. The air pressure could have been as much as 2\u00bd\u20133 times less than it was before the Flood. (See fig. 107.) The bottom line? Due to the change in the atmospheric pressure, Noah\u2019s tolerance for alcohol decreased by 66\u201375%. He may very well have been caught off guard, and become intoxicated unintentionally. Of course, the word of the Lord for us today is \u2026
\nDo not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18 NIV).
\nFigure 107. AIR PRESSURE, ALTITUDE AND ALCOHOL<\/p>\n
Two changes that occured with the collapse of the canopy may account for a godly man like Noah becoming drunk. Noah did not realize that, due to the great decrease in air pressure, his tolerance for alcohol was reduced 66\u201375%. In addition, the rate of fermentation had greatly increased, which may have caught him off guard as well.
\nChapter Twenty-Four
\nThe Canopied Millennium: Return to Paradise
\nThe Coming Kingdom
\nPerhaps the greatest evangelistic prophet in the Old Testament was Isaiah. His active ministry lasted some 40 years. Throughout those years, he declared God\u2019s warning of coming judgment against religious formalism, immorality, pride and idolatry. He repeatedly referred to a time in the future when the Savior, the Messiah, would come and redeem man from his bondage to sin. Included in his prophetic message is a description of a coming world which, in many ways, parallels the canopied Earth. (See fig. 108.)
\nFigure 108. THE COMING KINGDOM<\/p>\n
A future paradise is prophesied in scripture. Its beauty will be beyond anything visualized on planet Earth.
\nVegetarians Once Again
\nScripture indicates all creatures were vegetarians before the Flood. It appears this will again be the case at some future date.
\nThe cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox (Isa. 11:7 NIV).
\n\u201cThe wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, but dust will be the serpent\u2019s food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,\u201d says the Lord (Isa. 65:25 NIV). (See fig. 109.)
\nFigure 109. THE STRAW-EATING LION<\/p>\n
In the coming world, the Bible reveals that the lion will eat straw like the ox; and the young of the cow and the bear will lie down together. The curse will be lifted.
\nThis passage speaks of the serpent changing its diet from various prey (such as insects, birds, mice, and even larger creatures, as all snakes are carnivorous) to the dust of the Earth\u2014the diet upon which worms and other subterranean creatures subsist. Even more significant is this passage:
\nThe infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper\u2019s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea (Isa. 11:8, 9 NIV).
\nLongevity
\nAs it was before Noah\u2019s Flood, man will again have the ability to live for hundreds of years.
\n\u201cNever again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years; he who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere youth; he who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed \u2026 No longer will they build houses and others live in them, or plant and others eat. For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people; my chosen ones will long enjoy the works of their hands\u201d (Isa. 65:20, 22 NIV).
\nLush Vegetation Will Cover the Earth
\nJust as the pre-Flood Earth was covered from pole to pole with lush vegetation, so once again the present desert areas of the world shall bloom as the rose.
\nThe desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom \u2026 (Isa. 35:1, 2 NIV).
\nYear-Round Paradise
\nThe Earth will return to its original perfect condition, as it existed before the Flood. In the book of Ezekiel we read about a time coming when fruit trees will bear fruit year-round, which means there will be no frost or freezing weather.
\n\u201cFruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing\u201d (Ezek. 47:12 NIV).
\nOn that day there will be no light, no cold or frost. It will be a unique day, without daytime or night-time\u2014a day known to the Lord. When evening comes, there will be light (Zech. 14:6\u20137 NIV).
\nRestoration of the World
\nConsidering the harsh elements and many virtually uninhabitable regions on Earth today, it is difficult for us to envision a completely restored planet. But God is able to accomplish all that He has planned, one way or another.
\nBehold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. (Isa. 65:17 NIV).
\nIn that day the Branch of the Lord will be beautiful \u2026 Then the Lord will create over all of Mount Zion and over those who assemble there a cloud of smoke by day and aglow of flaming fire by night; over all the glory will be a canopy. It will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain (Isa. 4:2, 5, 6 NIV).
\nWhether the restoration of planet Earth will exactly duplicate the pre-Flood environment, we do not know. More than likely it will be similar, but superior. For God has the creative power to enhance and enrich any situation\u2014whether it be in a redeemed sinner\u2019s life, marriage or the physical world.
\nSay to those with fearful hearts, \u201cBe strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.\u201d Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs \u2026 (Isa. 35:4\u20137 NIV).
\nUnfavorable natural and environmental circumstances are no problem for God. He can change the conditions to parallel pre-Flood days, if He so desires.
\nListen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed\u2014in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed (1 Cor. 15:51, 52 NIV).
\nIf God can translate the Church, He certainly won\u2019t have any difficulty transforming the environment.
\nFor the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever (1 Thes. 4:16, 17 NIV).
\nPraise be to his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen (Psa. 72:19 NIV).
\nFor the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea (Hab. 2:14 NIV).
\nConclusion
\nCanopy Summary
\n1. A moderate, warm climate prevailing from pole to pole.
\n2. No winds (only light breezes) and no storms.
\n3. No wastelands, deserts or icy regions.
\n4. A continuous growing season.
\n5. Lush vegetation around the world.
\nPre-Flood Atmosphere
\nThe vapor canopy would be expected to:
\n1. Shield the Earth from short-wave radiation, which destroys life.
\n2. Trap long-wave radiation (heat) near the Earth.
\n3. Thicken the ozone layer due to the entrapment of long-wave radiation, which is responsible for the breaking down of the ozone molecule.
\n4. Stabilize temperatures, producing a greenhouse effect; this would result in an abundance of plant growth.
\n5. Drastically decrease the rate of aging.
\n6. Increase life span, due to a decrease of mutations caused by cosmic radiation.
\n7. Increase atmospheric pressure, which provides additional oxygen to living organisms.
\n8. Increase levels of humidity and carbon dioxide, which would slow the process of maturing and aging.
\nPost-Flood Atmosphere
\nAfter the loss of the canopy, we would expect:
\n1. An increase of short-wave radiation, which destroys living cells on Earth.
\n2. Ozone buildup near the surface of the Earth.
\n3. Wide temperature changes\u2014producing winds, rain, freezing weather and extreme heat.
\n4. A continual weakening of the magnetic field, allowing more and more solar radiation to strike life on the surface of the Earth.
\n5. A drop in the length of life, due to increased ozone, radiation and mutations.
\nThe Elimination of the Canopy
\nThe water-vapor canopy condensed at the time of the cataclysmic Flood. What possible mechanism did God use to cause the Flood and the collapse of the vapor canopy?
\nIs it possible an icy, astral visitor came within the Earth\u2019s gravitational field and fragmented? Is it possible that icy particles avalanched toward the Earth causing the vapor canopy to collapse and precipitate in the form of rain and ice for 40 days and nights? Could tidal waves of continental proportions have swept across the face of the Earth, destroying everything with the breath of life? These questions and many others will be answered in subsequent volumes of the Creation Series.
\nPostscript
\nFor an in-depth study of the canopy theory, read Joseph Dillow\u2019s scholarly book, entitled The Waters Above (Moody Press). It extensively covers various mathematical and technical calculations associated with the canopy\u2019s existence.<\/p>\n
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_–<\/p>\n
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS A number of organizations have aided my research in preparing and producing this book. To them I wish to express special appreciation and acknowledgments. The Creation Life Publishers of San Diego, California; Creation Ex Nihilo Magazine of Australia; Bible-Science Association of Minneapolis, Minnesota; Institute for Creation Research of El Cajon, California; The Genesis Institute … <\/p>\n