IN THE BEGINNING…

Witness of the Bow6

The Witness of the Bow

40 days heavy rain can’t flood the planet!

Life length (~900 yrs) seems difficult to envisage

Rainbows can’t suddenly “appear” in history!

3

2

1

Reflex objections to Genesis 1-9

Consider the actual description in Genesis 1

And God said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water.” So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. 1:6-7

1

Objection 1: 40 Days Rain does not Flood the Planet

Rock plate

Magma

Sea

Sky

Aqueous shell

Science

b

a

c

7 x 1020 kg

2000 psi

New eutectic ≡m

God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. 1:7

Bible

1

…all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. 7:11

The water receded steadily from the earth. 8:3

0

50

100

150

200

250

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Generations from Adam

Ag

e w

ith 1

st c

hild

(ye

ars

)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Ag

e w

ith 1

st c

hild

(%

)Actual years

% of life

Adam

Seth

Enoch

Methuselah

• Age with 1st child ~ 14% of lifespan

• Equivalent age of first child ~ 12 years old

• Equivalent lifespan in modern terms ~ 95 years

Objection 2: Life length (~900 yrs) seems unrealistic

They aren’t living abnormally long, they’re aging abnormally

slowly.

2 What would be the anticipated effect on lifespan of a collapse of shell of water around the Earth?

Human lifespan,previously at equilibrium (a), would, immediately after the Flood, (b) exponentially decay (c) to a lower equilibrium (d).

Scientific best guess Bible

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1000

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24

Generations from Adam

Life

span

(ye

ars)

Flood

y = 2860e-0.144x

(a) (c)

(b)

(d)

“I procured me a Triangular-glass Prisme to try therewith the celebrated Phaenomena of colours.”

Isaac Newton, 1672

Objection 3: Rainbows can’t suddenly “appear” in history!

Scientist Discovery

BC 300 Euclid Light reflected by surfaces

AD 130 Ptolemy / Plato Light refracted in water

1600 Galilei Astronomical telescope

1637 Snell / Descartes Theory of Refraction

1666 Newton White light refracts into colours

1670 Huyghens Polarization; Wave theory

1676 Romer Finite speed of light

1801 Young Optical Interference

1870 Maxwell Propagation through ether

1880-1905

Micholson

Einstein / Poincaré

Disproved existence of ether

1905-1920

Planck / Einstein

Heisenberg

Schrödinger

Pauli / Dirac

Wave/particle duality

The Photon

Self propagation through space

Quantum Mechanics

3 What would be the anticipated effect of this aqueous shell model on the visibility of rainbows?

a b

Science

Bible

“I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.” 9:13-15

• Diffuse light source with water layer in place

• Non-parallel rays: no polychromatic refraction

• Therefore no rainbow (Isaac Newton, 1666)The Bible describes both features: divided waters

and no rainbows before the Flood!

Before the Flood

Analysis: Compare ‘Aqueous Shell’ Model with Bible text

During the Flood Event• Collapse would produce global Flood• Earth submerged by pressure, not water height• Continental plates would subsequently emerge• No mechanism required to remove water

Analysis: Compare ‘Aqueous Shell’ Model & Bible text

Again the Bible describes both features: an extensive Flood and waters receding without further event!

After the Flood – Lifespans• Increased rate of cellular growth and decay (from increased radiation density at Earth’s surface)• Subsequent immediate decay in lifespan• Equilibrium value re-established at lower limit

The Bible testifies to all three points – from a historical point long before these things would be understood!

Pre-FloodLifespan~ 910 yrs

Post-FloodLifespan~ 120 yrs

Analysis: Compare ‘Aqueous Shell’ Model & Bible text

• Rainbows necessarily result after Flood

• Rainbow guarantees no water layer above Earth

• Absence of water layer assures no repeat Flood

Again the Bible details all three points – again from a historical point before these things would be understood!

After the Flood – Rainbows

Analysis: Compare ‘Aqueous Shell’ Model & Bible text

• Number of coincidences required for Bible to be false is straining credibility

• Bible has been party to knowledge from sources beyond human ability

• Lends considerable credence to Bible’s own claim to be the Inspired Word of God

Witness of the Bow: Conclusions

• Available evidence suggests it is logical to take Bible as super-human knowledge

“Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500

1

3

5

7

9

11

13

15

17

19

21

23

Adam

Lamech

Flood

Shem

New Beginning: New Witness

Noah’sdeath

Seth’sdeath

Isaac

Methuselah

Seth

Noah

Abram

The LORD appeared to Abram and said… Gen 12:1

Continuing Witness

Seth

Noah

Abram

Noah Abram

The LORD appeared to Abram and said… Gen 12:1

2 000 years

“Be strong and courageous… The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

Seth Noah Abram

2 000 years

the Spirit of God was hovering over… 1:2