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In the Beginning | Part 7: Day Three (Dry Land & The Seas) - Continued
IN THE BEGINNING
Part 7
Day Three (Dry Land & The Seas) - continued
In part six of our study, we began looking at the third day of creation where God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear...And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas...” (Gen. 1:9-10) We also introduced the unbiblical theory that is popularly taught in schools and the media that assumes that there was initially a single supercontinent (called Pangea) that began to breakup and travel to the present continental locations some 200 million years ago. This somewhat arbitrary time figure has been arrived at by computing the rate of movement of tectonic plates in the earth (called conti-nental shift), backing up the process over the distances necessary to arrive at a single (assumed) super-continental location, and multiplying those figures to arrive at this 200-million-year figure. It is based on this kind of thinking that scientists (?) insist on a long-age earth. But, the Bible shows their seemingly logical conclusion to be in error - and science proves it to be wrong.
The first biblical evidence that God did not initially create a single super-continent that evolved over millions of years to become the 6 continents (that are now located in their present-day familiar positions) is the fact that God called the gathering together of the waters Seas (plural). Think about it. The continents are what divide the oceans into the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian and the Arctic - not to mention smaller Seas like the Mediterranean, the Adriatic, the Aegean, etc.. The creation of only one continent would have resulted in only one giant sea. But God called the gather together of the waters Seas. Science has proven that its own theory of a single supercontinent does not agree with the evidence. But before we examine that evidence, let’s first consider what a magnificent accomplishment it was to cause land to be formed that resulted in the waters being divided. There is a law that states that energy flows in the path of least resistance. As this relates to the flow of water, we understand that the movement of water (as a form of energy) will follow the path of least resistance due to the downward gravitational pull that forces it to flow to the lowest possible level. As landmasses were being raised up or formed, the waters would settle along what was becoming a shoreline.
David acknowledged God’s creative hand in this amazing accomplishment when he wrote; “You who laid the foundations of the earth, so that it should not be moved forever, You covered it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. At Your rebuke they fled; at the voice of Your thunder they hastened away. They went up over the mountains; they went down into the valleys, to the place which You founded for them. You have set a boundary that they may not pass over, that they may not return to cover the earth.” (Psm. 104:5-9) In those words we hear the opening text of Genesis where the earth was covered with water and referred to as “the deep.” There may also be a reference to the great flood of Noah’s day. But the fact that God established the continental boundaries as the forever-established borders of the ocean waters is clear. God’s own words to Job states this as His irrefutable act; “...I fixed My limit for it (the waters, gvw), and set bars and doors; when I said, ‘This far you may come, but no farther, and here your proud waves must stop!’” (Job 38:11)
Now - what about this supposed “continental drift” that leads scientists to assume that our present-day landmasses originated as a single supercontinent? We have already seen a hint that this is not true from a biblical perspective based on David’s statement that God had set a boundary that the waters may not pass over - and God’s own recorded testimony that the waters must stop at those borders at His own command. But there is more conclusive evidence even than these Scriptures that shows that the continents are sitting in the places that God established from the beginning of creation - and it can be confirmed by science.
But before looking at the science, let’s look at something else that God said to Job about this - then we will see how science confirms what He said. “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone.” (Job 38: 4-6) In these words it becomes clear that God was asking Job questions about the land that is called Earth. (cf. Gen. 1: 10) In verse 4 He speaks of His having laid the foundations of the earth. The word foundations is from the Hebrew word yacad which means “to found or establish” something. (ref. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance) But in verse 8 He used a different word which is also translated foundations when He asked “to what were its foundations fastened?” This second use of the word foundations is from the Hebrew word ‘eden meaning “a basis (of a building, a column, etc.) - foundation, socket” (Ibid.) God was asking Job “To what were its sockets fastened?” Now let’s look at what science has found.
Since the invention of instruments that are able to measure the vibrations generated by earthquakes, man has been able to learn much about the geology of the earth. In 1909, Andrija Mohorovicic, a Croatian seismologist, discovered that the velocity of a seismic wave is related to the density of the material that it is moving through. Based on his findings, he determined that there was a difference in the density of rock that we now know as the earth’s crust and the harder, more dense rock below it which is called the earth’s mantle. This boundary that separates the earth’s crust from the mantle was later named the Moho Discontinuity. The depth of this boundary underneath the oceans is found at an average of 4.5 miles, but under the continental landmasses it is an average of about 22 miles deep. Additionally, it was discovered that this boundary goes deeper underneath the larger mountain ranges of the earth like the Andes, Rockies, Himalayas, and Urals. What this confirms is the fact that the continents sit in depressions (sockets) that are from 18 or more miles deep within the solid 1,800-mile-thick mantle which serves as an immovable foundation for multiple continents.
Once again, we see that the Bible does not contradict good science, but that science only confirms that which the Bible proclaims. To those who insist on ignoring the agreement between science and the Bible, hear the words of God as recorded by Jeremiah; “‘Hear this now, O foolish people, without understanding, who have eyes and see not, and who have ears and hear not: Do you not fear Me?’ says Yahweh. ‘Will you not tremble at My presence, who have placed the sand as the bound of the sea, by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass beyond it? And though its waves toss to and fro, yet they cannot prevail; though they roar, yet they cannot pass over it.’” (Jer. 5:21-22)
There is yet another aspect of the seas that is worth mentioning; ocean currents. A single supercontinent with a single, uninterrupted ocean would not permit the existence and important role that ocean currents provide. The discovery of ocean currents is an interesting story. Sometime between 1842 and 1851, U. S. Navy admiral Matthew Fontaine Maury was laid up from an injury during which time he took note of the words in the eighth Psalm during one of his bible studies. Verse 8 caught his attention; “The birds of the air, and the fish of the sea that pass through the paths of the seas.” (Psm. 8:8) From that moment he determined that he would find those “paths” - and he did. Through extensive effort over the next several years he charted and recorded the locations of the ocean currents, publishing them in 1855 in the first book on the subject of oceanography entitled “The Physical Geography of the Sea and Its Meteorology.” His statue sits on Monument Avenue in Richland, Va where he is depicted sitting, holding rolled-up sea charts in one hand and a bible in the other. Under it is this caption: “Matthew Fontaine Maury, Pathfinder of the Seas, the genius who first snatched from the oceans and atmosphere the secret of their laws. His inspiration, Holy Writ, Psalms 8:8; Ecclesiastes 1:6.” Though he is lauded for his discovery and the many benefits it has resulted in, it is God who is to be praised for His mighty handiwork in creating the seas.
To be continued...
- Gary V. Womack -
