Creation Devotional February 15 - History
Daily Devotional – February 15
History
Is there really a lost city of Atlantis, or is this just a myth? Let’s consider what happened after the Flood. Within a few hundred years, the rapidly expanding human population was spreading across the earth after being dispersed from the Tower of Babel. The end of the Flood also marked the beginning of the Ice Age. The Flood warmed the oceans of the world causing increased evaporation.
This resulted in a wetter, colder climate worldwide with massive snowfall in high north and south latitudes. Fine ash particles from the massive volcanic activity during and after the Flood also worked to keep the earth cool and snow from melting. This resulted in enormous amounts of water being removed from the oceans. Most experts believe the oceans were 300 feet lower during the height of the ice age. It is estimated that this one and only Ice Age lasted about 700 years. It seems likely that many people spreading out at this time of earth history would have settled along coastlines. At the end of the Ice Age, the icepacks began to melt - returning the water to the oceans and causing the sea level to rise about 300 feet. This caused flooding of coastal cities all over the world.
Today we are discovering more and more underwater archeological sites: Yonaguni near Japan, old Dwarka near India, Yarmuta near Lebanon and underwater cities off the coasts of Greece and Cuba. The submerged megaliths off southern India are a boon for the local fishermen. The temples and walls provide a place for the fish to congregate. The local fishermen are constantly snagging their nets on the buildings and must dive to loosen them. These local fishermen have the privilege of seeing the submerged kingdom of Kumari Kandam with its columns, pyramids, stone walls and lion statues. In other words, the ancients were building megalithic cities during the Ice Age that were submerged as the Ice Age ended.
Was the city of Atlantis a myth? Let’s just say these are exciting times for this new field of study, underwater archeology.
For he saith to the snow, Be thou on the earth; likewise to the small rain, and to the great rain of his strength.
~ Job 37:6
Source: "Pearls in Paradise" by authors Bruce Malone and Jule Von Vett
Creation Devotional February 14 - Biology
Daily Devotional – February 14
Biology
A pig farmer in the UK heard an evolutionist academic talk about how the breeding of farm animals shows evolution. At the end of the lecture the pig farmer said, “Professor, I don’t understand what you are talking about. When I breedpigs, I get pigs—if it were not so I would be out of business!”
Evolutionists understand that the addition of new, increasingly complex information is required if a bacterium is to evolve into a man. For a reptile to change into a bird would require new genes to transform scales into feathers. The odds of random natural processes (like mutations) creating a new gene coding to make feathers (instead of reptilian scales) is essentially zero. Mutations always degrade the information found on the DNA molecule. Mutations never result in increasingly complex information. As ardent evolutionist Carl Sagan admitted: “… mutations occur at random and are almost uniformly harmful—it is rare that a precision machine is improved by a random change in the instructions for making it.” Rare indeed – and in most cases, NEVER!
There are many breeds of dogs, chickens, cats, and pigs, but they are all dogs, chickens, cats and pigs. The reshuffling of different genes produces the great variety within a kind, but the variety is limited to the genes that are present. If there are no genes for feathers, then feathers will not be present. Variation within a kind is not evolution! Galapagos finches are still finches, peppered moths are still peppered moths; they just show variety within a kind, not evolution. Things reproduce after their kind just as the Bible states. As the pig farmer said to the evolutionist, “I would be out of business if pigs did not produce pigs!”
And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
~ Genesis 1:24
Source: "Pearls in Paradise" by authors Bruce Malone and Jule Von Vett
Creation Devotional February 13 - Paleontology
Daily Devotional – February 13
Paleontology
Most Christians are not aware that there is much evidence supporting the belief that dinosaurs lived only thousands of years ago - alongside of mankind. Here is a brief list:
- The archaeological evidence: For example, the engravings in brass around Bishop Bell’s tomb at Carlisle Cathedral in the north of England dated 1491 show two intertwined long-necked dinosaurs. Worldwide, there are many dinosaurs depicted in ancient sculptures, paintings, and carvings. The variety and frequency of such evidence supports the reality that mankind has lived with these creatures.
- Soft tissue has been found inside of multiple dinosaur bones, which means they must have been buried recently, not millions of years ago.
- DNA has been found in dinosaur bone cells, which means they must be relatively young.
- Carbon-14 has been found in dinosaur bone. C-14 is used to date organic matter (not rocks), and it has a short 5,730 year half-life. After about 100,000 years, there should be no detectable C-14 left. Yet, C-14 levels hundreds of times above the equipment detection limit has been found.
- Before the word “dinosaur” was invented, creatures fitting the description of dinosaurs were mentioned in the Bible - the Behemoth of Job 40:15-41 and the Leviathan of Job 41.
Dinosaurs have been the “poster child” used to promote the belief in evolution for decades. With these findings, dinosaurs can now be missionaries of biblical truth. Everyone loves dinosaurs. Let’s show people how they fit a recent biblical creation viewpoint far better than a millions-of-years evolutionary perspective.
Canst thou draw out leviathan with an hook…. Out of his mouth go burning lamps, and sparks of fire leap out. Out of his nostrils goeth smoke, as out of a seething pot or caldron. His breath kindleth coals, and a flame goeth out of his mouth.
~ Job 41:1, 19-21
Source: "Pearls in Paradise" by authors Bruce Malone and Jule Von Vett
Creation Devotional February 12 - Christian Truth
Daily Devotional – February 12
Christian Truth
Your skin is literally crawling with millions of harmful viruses and bacteria, yet infections and diseases ONLY start when contamination finds its way inside. In a similar way, the Christian church faces its greatest danger, not from persecution and skeptical attacks, but from those within the faith who twist and distort the Word of God to justify non-biblical beliefs. Combining God’s Word with evolution (and its required millions of years) is Christianity’s greatest internal threat.
You need only observe the reaction to creation conferences hosted on public universities to see this reality in action. Venomous and insulting attacks preceding such conferences by unbelieving faculty and students are not at all surprising – the very idea of a Creator to whom we are accountable strikes at the very core of their belief system. But all too often “Christian” groups show up at such conferences to pass out evolution-promoting literature. And every year thousands of churches set aside the Sunday closest to Charles Darwin’s birthday to celebrate “Darwin Day”! Most Christian Bible colleges and seminaries teach that it is perfectly acceptable to believe that God used billions of years to slowly change pond slime into human beings (i.e. molecules-to-man evolution). Well-funded organizations are spending millions to convince Christians that evolution and the Bible blend seamlessly. Yet, the exact opposite is true.
I recently helped my son tear out almost every wall in his “fixer-upper” home in preparation for a major remodeling. While we were rebuilding, three critical tools were needed: a level, square, and chalk line. The Bible gives us an unchanging standard for understanding not just morality, but history and science also. God’s Word is the only suitable level, square, and chalk line standard with which to interpret these subjects. Almost universally, Christians have compromised God’s Word by making science, majority opinion, or their own experience the absolute with which to judge and re-interpret God’s Word. This is exactly equivalent to bending the square, misaligning the level, or smearing the chalk line to fit a crooked wall. It may work for a while, but ultimately, the structure will become distorted as mistake, builds upon mistake and it will become hopelessly unstable and destroyed from within.
God repeatedly warns us to make His Word - not the teaching of church leaders, scientific consensus, or popular opinion - our primary guide of truth.
Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
~ Matthew 7:15
Source: "Pearls in Paradise" by authors Bruce Malone and Jule Von Vett
Creation Devotional February 11 - Biology
Daily Devotional – February 11
Biology
There is a small bird known as the “little dipper”, or water ouzel, that loves to dip into the water beside a fast-flowing river. This little bird flies, swims, and strolls along the bottom of the stream turning over rocks with his beak looking for food. He does not have webbed feet, so he uses his wings as oars to move through the water. He uses his air sacs to rise to the surface and compresses the air out of these sacs to submerge. The dipper’s eyes have a special lens curvature for underwater vision and nasal flaps in his nostrils that close when diving. After all, who wants water up one’s nose? Evolutionists will say this bird evolved. Why would he “evolve” all this underwater equipment when he could just as easily have gotten his food off the ground? Our heavenly Father just loves to show His creativity!
Hear, O ye kings; give ear, O ye princes; I, even I, will sing unto the Lord; I will sing praise to the Lord God of Israel.
~ Judges 5:3
Source: "Pearls in Paradise" by authors Bruce Malone and Jule Von Vett
Creation Devotional February 10 - Design
Daily Devotional – February 10
Design
Have you considered that the earth is perfectly designed for life?
- The right rate of spin. 24 hours is just right. If the earth spun slower, nights would become colder, and days would be hotter.
- The right length of year. Winters are just short enough for creatures to survive while summers are just long enough for plants to produce food for us to eat.
- The right axis of rotation tilt. This tilt produces the seasons. Winter and summer seasons trigger the timing of when plants bloom and creatures court.
- The right distance from the sun. If earth were 10 % closer to the sun, earth would feel like a furnace. If it were 20% farther away, we would be an icy desert.
- The right orbit. Earth’s orbit is nearly circular. This allows the sun to evenly heat us.
- The right surface smoothness. The earth surface is surprisingly smooth. If the mountains were only 10% higher, the local weather conditions would be extreme.
- The right materials. Apart from the organic materials such as wood, earth has an abundance of the right kind of metals: aluminum, iron, lead, tin, copper, zinc, titanium, gold, silver, etc. The most abundant also tend to be the most useful!
The earth is perfectly designed for life!
For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the Lord; and there is none else.
~ Isaiah 45:18
Source: "Pearls in Paradise" by authors Bruce Malone and Jule Von Vett
Creation Devotional February 9 - Microbiology
Daily Devotional – February 9
Microbiology
Bacteria are both the most diverse and the most numerous life forms upon earth. You actually have more bacteria on and within your body than human cells. The diversity of these bacteria continues to amaze scientists. Dr. Kenneth Nealson leads a team of scientists that has discovered a new type of bacteria--electric bacteria--which can survive on pure electricity. These bacteria have the ability to both deposit and remove electrons directly from surfaces as their “food”. His team has identified over 1000 varieties of bacteria which make use of electricity for survival. Six of these bacterial strains have the ability to survive on electricity alone. Electric bacteria should not “shock” us; God designs beyond our imaginations! Science now has an entire new area to “think God’s thoughts” and see how He has put it together. Even though these bacteria have a unique method of survival, they are made from biologically useful chemicals which have only been shown to exist and be produced by living cells. These complex bio-chemicals have never been shown to exist outside of a cell. So what implication does this discovery have on the origin of life?
- Electricity did not bring them alive; it is used for survival.
- These bacteria are made of complex bio-chemicals that only exist inside a living cell.
- The coded DNA information in these bacteria is so complex that it would be impossible for it to have written itself.
- There is no link between non-living chemicals and these bacteria. These distinct forms of life show no indication of turning into anything other than copies of themselves.
Yet the researchers who discovered these bacteria attribute their existence to “evolution”. In other words, they assume that they simply created themselves. They further speculate that similar forms of life have made themselves all over the universe. Billions of dollars are being spent to search our universe for any other signs of life. Yet not a shred of evidence has been found. In actuality, the diversity of life does nothing but demonstrate the power and creativity of the Creator of life. The more we learn about its complexity and diversity, the less excuse we have for ignoring God’s existence.
O give thanks unto the LORD; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people.
~ Psalm 105:1
Source: "Pearls in Paradise" by authors Bruce Malone and Jule Von Vett
Creation Devotional February 8 - Biology
Daily Devotional – February 8
Biology
Does a bumblebee have two or four wings? It has four wings. The wings are in pairs coupled together by a row of hooks on the back wing that grip in a groove on the rear edge of the front wing. As the bee gets ready to fly, its wings unfold causing the hooks to fall into the groove and lock in place. Now the wings are a single, large flight surface. A bumblebee can fly up, down, sideways, backwards and forwards, with a speed over 6 mph. The bee flaps its wings about 200 times a second, causing the buzzing noise we hear. Why is a bumblebee made with short wings? Watch it move around inside a flower to see the bee fold its wings and lay them along its back. Long wings would stick out and the bee would not be able to turn in tight spaces. The wings are specially designed. The way the bee’s wings couple together with hooks in a groove could not have come about by accident and chance; it was specifically designed for the work the bumblebee does.
If I take the wings of the morning,…
~ Psalm 139:9
Source: "Pearls in Paradise" by authors Bruce Malone and Jule Von Vett
Creation Devotional February 7 - Christian Truth
Daily Devotional – February 7
Christian Truth
Did you know that the planet Mercury is a testimony to creation? Back in 1974-75, the space probe Mariner 10 discovered that Mercury has a magnetic field. Thirty-six years later, in 2011, space probe Messenger documented that Mercury’s magnetic field strength had fallen 8%. So what, you say! This means that the magnetic field on Mercury has a half-life of only 320 years. In other words, every 300 years or so, Mercury loses half the strength of its magnetic field. If Mercury is billions of years old, or even hundreds of thousands of years old, it could not possibly have any magnetic field left. This recent discovery is enormously strong evidence from the field of cosmology that our solar system had to have been recently created. But it gets even better!
The validity of any scientific theory is based on its ability to predict as yet unmeasured or unseen events. Dr. Russell Humphreys, a Bible-believing, creation scientist, correctly predicted rapid decay of Mercury’s magnetic field decades before Messenger measured the planet’s field strength. His correct prediction was based on his theory that all the planets were initially formed about 6000 years ago. He also correctly predicted the strength of Uranus’ and Neptune’s magnetic fields - before spacecraft measured these magnetic fields. In EVERY case of predicting magnetic fields, the predictions of oldage evolutionary astronomers were wrong! But of course, Dr. Humphreys would be correct; he started with the Bible to develop his mathematical models. The universe is young, just as the Bible says. Mercury’s magnetic field is a testimony to creation!
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork
~ Psalm 19:1
Source: "Pearls in Paradise" by authors Bruce Malone and Jule Von Vett
Creation Devotional February 6 - Biology
Daily Devotional – February 6
Biology
Marine loggerhead turtles are found in all of the world’s oceans with the exception of the Arctic. They have the longest known migration route of any marine animal. For example, a little hatchling on the coast of Japan swims to its feeding area along the coast of California and back to the exact beach where it was hatched each year. Over its lifetime, it will migrate millions of miles!
It has been known for decades that loggerheads have a built-in “compass” in their heads that allow them to know their latitude; the equator is 0 degrees while the north or south pole is 90 degrees. When traveling north to south, the magnetic field will vary in intensity. Recently scientists were amazed to find that loggerheads can also detect longitude, traveling east or west. Longitude is very difficult to discern because earth’s magnetic field does not vary much east to west; only the angle of the magnetic pull changes and only to a very minute degree. Loggerheads were found to have not just a “compass” but a built-in “GPS” system detecting both the intensity and angle of the magnetic field. It took humans hundreds of years and a great deal of money to build instruments measuring longitude. Does ANYONE believe mankind’s GPS systems happened by accident and chance? Loggerheads have astounding migration abilities by using their GPS. And who is their GPS Maker? God Himself.
All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord….
~Psalm 145: 10
Source: "Pearls in Paradise" by authors Bruce Malone and Jule Von Vett
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