How Does The Fossil Record Support God’s Word as Truth?

How Does The Fossil Record Support God’s Word as Truth?:

Fossil:

·        The remains of a living thing that have been preserved over time

         Fossils are the remains of plants and animals which lived on the Earth during the

         Geological past and are now preserved in the rocks

Paleontology:

·        The study of the forms of pre-existing life as represented by the fossils of plants, animals, and other organisms

Prehistoric:

·        Of, relating to, or belonging to the era before recorded history.

Genesis 1:1 NIV
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

According to the Bible there is a beginning to history and time as we know it. God created all things and made sure it was recorded in the Bible so we would know that without a doubt that He is the creator.

John 1:1-4 NIV
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  In him was life, and that life was the light of men.

God also made it clear that through Jesus (The Word or in the Greek “logos”) all things were made.

Logos:

A Greek term generally translated in the Christian New Testament as "Word", it refers to the creative power (word) of God.

Logos/The Word is particularly significant in Christian theology, where it is used to describe the role of Jesus as the principle of God active in the creation and ordering of the cosmos and in the revelation of the divine plan of salvation. This is most clearly stated in the Gospel of John the Apostle, which identifies Christ as the Word

(Logos) made flesh.

So God created the universe. There was a beginning, and that which came about from the point of God’s Spoken Word was recorded in the Bible.

From Genesis:

³ And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light

⁶ And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from

    water."

⁹ And God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry 

   ground appear."

¹¹ Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on 

     the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds."

¹⁴ And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day 

    from the  night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years,  

¹⁵ and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth."

 ²⁰ And God said, "Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above 

     the earth across the expanse of the sky."

²⁴ And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: 

     livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according 

      to its kind."

²⁶ Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule 

     over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, ^[b] and over all the creatures that move along the ground."

It is important to recognize that there was purpose and order in God’s creation. God created man for the purpose of being in relationship with Him, “for His pleasure.” Revelation 4:11 says, “Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created.” Colossians 1:16 reiterates the point: “All things were created by Him and for Him.” Man was created last because he was the highlight of God’s creation, the most excellent of all God’s works. “God saw everything he had made. And it was very good” (Genesis 1:31).

Being made in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:27), human beings have the ability to know God and therefore love Him, worship Him, serve Him, and fellowship with Him.

Along with all the wonderful things God had created for man’s benefit He gave man the ability to make choices. For example He gave Adam the job of naming all the creatures of the earth.

Genesis 2:19-20 NIV
Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field.
 

Yet there was one choice that changed all of History. Adam and Eve chose to believe Satan’s lies and act on their temptation to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  They disobeyed God and thus sin entered the world.

After the fall (The sin of Adam and Eve) sin entered the world and man became corrupt so much so that God decided to essentially start over.

The consequence of the Fall:

The Flood (a.k.a. Noah's Flood) is the worldwide cataclysmic event that utterly devastated the earth sometime between 2,000 and 3,000 BC. According to Genesis, chapters 6 through 9, earth's humanity had degenerated into such a cesspool that God, in His sovereignty, decided to purge the earth. He graciously chose to spare a

single human family and a variety of representatives from the animal kingdom to repopulate the earth after the Flood waters receded. Noah, the patriarchal head of this chosen family, the man who "found grace in the eyes of the LORD" (Genesis 6:8), was commanded to build a massive ark. This ark (a.k.a. Noah's Ark) was the implement of their salvation. In the aftermath, eight human survivors disembarked from the ark. These eight were all that remained of the human race: Noah, his wife, their three sons, and their sons' three wives.

OK, so how did we get fossils?

Most fossils are found in Sedimentary rock. Sedimentary rock is one of the three main rock groups. Sedimentary rocks cover 75% of the Earth's land area.

Fossils are made when living things die and get buried by sediments quickly before the hardest parts of the animal have a chance to decay.  Within the Sedimentary rock there are billions upon billions of fossils. These are the remains or the casts of plants and animals that suddenly died. Today fossilization does not normally occur; for it requires sudden death, sudden burial, and great pressure.

"To become fossilized a plant or animal must usually have hard parts, such as bone, shell or wood. It must be buried quickly to prevent decay and must be undisturbed throughout the process."—*F.H.T. Rhodes, H.S. Zim, and *P.R. Shaffer, Fossils (1962), p. 10.

In order to get so many fossils there had to be a cataclysmic event in history like Noah’s Flood to cause so many fossils to be buried in the sedimentary rock.  The key is “buried quickly under great pressure”. There is no other proven worldwide event in history which can claim these same conditions. The other theory that a large asteroid or comet impacting the Earth must have caused a great global catastrophe

causing the climate of the entire Earth to change, is one that doesn’t hold “water”. Killing off the dinosaurs through global climate change cannot be proven nor cause the right conditions for there to be fossilization. So in short God created and then God unleashed His wrath on His creation. We have evidence of His judgment (The Flood) by the Billions of Fossils that are found all over the world.

The Lord pronounces the Judgment:

Genesis 6:5-8 NIV
The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of  his heart was only evil all the time.   The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.   So the LORD said, "I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them."  But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.

The Facts:

There is so much written on the flood, fossils, dinosaurs etc. that I didn’t want to overwhelm you with tons Info.  The fact is that the fossil record can confirm evidence for a worldwide flood. The worldwide flood Is exactly what the Bible tells us happened.  Here are some more tidbits that we would expect to find if there

was a worldwide flood. This is exactly what we are finding in the Fossil record.

Results of a Worldwide Flood:

(1)   Animals living at the lowest levels would tend to be buried in the lowest strata.

(2)  Creatures buried together—would tend to be buried with other animals that lived 

       in the same region or ecological community.

(3)  Hydrologic forces (the suck and drag of rapidly moving water) would tend to sort

      out creatures of similar forms. Because of lower hydraulic drag, those with the

      simplest shapes would tend to be buried first.

(4) Backboneless sea creatures (marine invertebrates), since they live on the sea

      bottom, would normally be found in the bottom strata.

(5) Fish would be found in higher strata since they can swim up close to the surface.

(6) Amphibians and reptiles would be buried higher than the fish, but as a rule, below

     the land animals.

(7) Few land plants or animals would be in the lower strata.

(8) The first land plants would be found where the amphibians were found.

(9) Mammals and birds would generally be found in higher levels than reptiles and

     Amphibians.

(10) Because many animals tend to go in herds in time of danger, we would find herd

       animals buried together.

(11) In addition, the larger, stronger animals would tend to sort out into levels apart

       from the slower ones (tigers would not be found with hippopotamuses).

(12) Relatively few birds would be found in the strata, since they could fly to the 

       highest points.

(13) Few humans would be found in the strata. They would be at the top, trying to stay

        afloat until they died; following which they would sink to the surface of the

        sediments and decompose.

Other evidence:

There are hundreds of stories and legends about a worldwide flood. Many diverse cultures share a strikingly similar story.

Something to think about:

Today fossilization is a rare event. Decomposition is instead the rule following death unless the matter is buried rapidly and to a depth that would prevent microbial digestion and oxidation. It should also be noted that many of the animals alive today are virtually identical to their fossilized ancestors arguing against millions

of years separating their fossils from today.

There is absolutely no transitional forms either in the fossil record or in modern animal and plant life that have been found. All appear fully formed and complete. The fossil record amply supplies us with representation of almost all species of animals and plants but none of the supposed links of plant to animal, fish to amphibian, amphibian to reptile, or reptile to birds and mammals are represented nor any transitional forms at all. There are essentially the same gaps between all the basic kinds in the fossil record as exists in plant and animal life today.

So as far as I am concerned the fossil record proves there was a global flood which in turn proves that the Bible contains real historical evidence of how the earth was created and how it has changed since the fall of man. God’s Word is reliable and answers these important questions:

Who am I?

Where did I come from?

Why am I here?

Why is the world in such a mess?

The Bible also addresses other important questions:

Is there any hope for us?

Does God provide a way for us to be rescued?

The answer is yes, God did provide a rescue plan. Jesus Christ came to save us!

In conclusion:

Many people try to discredit God and His Word on a scientific level were they say the Bible can’t explain what we observe in nature today.  Well, the Bible does explain scientifically why we see what we observe in nature today. God put the scientific laws in place. God created time. God designed incredible creatures that amaze us and fuel our wonder. God created man as He is today and did not put in place an evolutionary process where man evolved from a lower form of primate. Randomness and chance cannot explain the design we observe in in the world today. Any process that is repeatable has to have an embedded design and intelligence behind it otherwise we would see in the observable universe constant change and variation within the creation itself that has no order or repeatable design. What we observe today is incredible design that over and over again reflects an amazing designer.  This designer is the God of the Bible.

The fact of the matter is, we see no evidence in the fossil record of the evolution of species which also confirms that God created all species separate and distinct from one another. Remember when God created all the species of living creatures He created them “according to their kinds”.  Science once again proves that the more we study and observe the “natural world”, the more evidence there is that we can trust God’s Word as truth.

Isaiah 44:24 Living Bible (TLB)

The Lord, your Redeemer who made you, says: All things were made by me; I alone stretched out the heavens. By myself I made the earth and everything in it.

Just Sayin…………………..Dave

Where can we find the foundation for all truth?

Question: Where can we find the foundation for all truth?

Answer: The Bible gives us the understanding and foundation for all truth.

The Book of Genesis answers the most important questions we have:

• Who am I? 
• Why am I here?  
• Where did here come from? 
• Why is life so messed up? 
• Is there a fix for the mess? 

The Purpose of the Book of Genesis:

• To reveal to the origin of man:  Created by God in the image of God with the understanding of his relationship to God and the universe.

• To reveal man’s original fall:   The book of Genesis helps us understand why sin created a chasm between God and man

            God created Adam and Eve so He could love and enjoy fellowship with them. To give them a 

            purpose, and suitable place for them to live. To reveal himself as a Holy God and to display 

            His glory. He created the earth and everything else to benefit them in every aspect of their 

            existence. God original design was perfect in every way. Yet Adam & Eve’s disobedience and 

            rebellion against God’s Command brought sin & death into the World and the need 

            for God to provide a Savior.

• To reveal God’s promise of redemption:  Through the offspring (Jesus) of the woman (Eve), man will be restored back into a right relationship with God that was broken due to the Fall (The original sin)

• To record authoritatively God’s choice of individuals and their descendants that led to the coming and birth of the Messiah: 

God made sure a record is kept (Genealogy) of the Jewish Line that eventually led to the Birth of the Messiah Jesus. (note: see Genesis 10, Matthew 1:1-17 , Luke 3 ) This record is Historical and gives us insight into God’s plan of redemption through the life and the stories of those He chose to be part of the line of the Messiah. For instance, Jesus was a descendent of both Abraham and David. Jesus became the fulfillment of the prophecies and covenants made by God to them.

Genesis 12:1-3 (NIV) (Abrahamic Covenant)

The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

1 Chronicles 17:11-14 (NIV) (Davidic Covenant)

When your days are over and you go to be with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. I will never take my love away from him, as I took it away from your predecessor. I will set him over my house and my kingdom forever; his throne will be established forever.’”

2 Samuel 7:16 (NIV) (Davidic Covenant)

The Key Attributes of God found in Genesis:

·         Love and Grace

Note: 

It is very important while you are reading Genesis to ask God to reveal Himself to you out of the passage of scripture you are reading.  It is important to see yourself and the world through God’s eyes. Most of the time we view life through our own eyes which can easily cloud God's eternal perspective and purpose.  An important question we need to ask ourselves is?:

·         What do I need to do as a result of what I have learned from my reading of Genesis?

 Examples:

·         How should I view God?

       How should I view myself in light of God's creation?

·         How can I serve God?

·         How should I view others?

God as Creator of all things:

 

God created time as we know it when He created the Universe.

Genesis 1:1 NIV 
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Even though the universe is so vast God ordained that the earth be the central role of importance in all of His creation because it was designed by God to be man’s home. 

The Big Question:

Is the First verse of the Bible true? If not, then how can we then trust God and His Word? 

We must understand that believing Genesis 1:1 to be true, gives us the foundation for all things that exist along with the foundation for all truth.

We see that God had a purpose for all the things He created.  One thing to notice is that God pays great attention to detail and order.  It is amazing to think how incredibly detailed God’s design for life is, down to our very own DNA.

How could God’s amazing design be the cause of some random events over a long period time?

After each day of creation God said that what He created was good. Notice after He created man He said that it was “very good”. We see that God does not give us arbitrary moral standards; what He calls “good” is good because it reflects His Holy Character.  God has given us free will to choose what is good or what is evil. Adam and Eve had that choice as well. They were told to not eat from one tree in the garden, The Tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They were warned that if they did, they would surely die. In many ways we are faced with that choice every day.  Because we have God’s Word we have a clear distinction between what God sees as good and what He sees as evil or sin. We are either with God or we are against Him.

Question:

Why didn’t God just create everything in just one day? (He could have done so seeing the immediate response to His spoken Command on each day of creation.)

Answer:

Each day of creation was special, specific and orderly. We get to see more clearly His glory in more detail as we see Him create over 6 days.  As we spend time thinking about God’s creation we can contemplate His majesty and power and understand just how great and sovereign God really is. This picture of God can only help us to understand that we cannot reduce Him down to our own desire to create for ourselves a God that suits our needs who also has limited power to do what He has promised.

·         God Created with the utterance of a spoken word.  Now that’s power!

It is interesting to note that the Bible teaches that, at the time of creation, The Father, Son and Holy Spirit were all present and working together.

Examples:

Genesis 1:2 NIV
Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

God creates through His Word. “and God said Let there be light”, and there was light. Refer to John 1:1-4. The term “Word” Is used to designate God’s son – Jesus Christ.

John 1:1-4 NIV    

In the beginning was the Word (Jesus), and the Word (Jesus) was with God, and the Word (Jesus) was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him (Jesus) all things were made; without him (Jesus) nothing was made that has been made. In him (Jesus) was life, and that life was the light of men.

Genesis 1:26 NIV 
Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."

It is interesting to note that in Genesis, the Hebrew the word used for God “Elohim” is plural. 

As an interesting side bar, in Deuteronomy we see how in Israel’s great statement of faith we see the singular Yahweh used with the plural Elohim in an interesting way that suggests the Trinity.

The Trinity:

defines God as three divine persons, the Father, the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit; "one God in three persons". The three persons are distinct, yet are one "substance, essence or nature"

Deuteronomy 6:4 NIV 

Hear, O Israel: The LORD (Yahweh) our God (Elohim), the LORD (Yahweh) is one.  

With His creation God gave value to all things. Each of us is valuable in God’s eyes and that it why He goes to extremes to get our attention. God has a plan for each of us. We will never know what that plan is unless we spend time with God and His Word each day. Many times we ignore God only to act on our own will and earthly self-centered desires. If we give priority to God in our daily lives, we have a better chance of understanding how to appropriate each of God’s blessings. Why remain in a futile existence when we can experience God’s blessings every day? In the book of Genesis we see the magnificence of God’s creation down to the very last detail. Don’t you think God cares about every detail of our lives as well? In Genesis, we see God speaking life into existence with His Word. God’s Word will speak life into our existence if we choose to read it and take it to heart. When God created light He separated the light from the darkness. Jesus will do the same for each of us if we trust Him and follow His ways. 

So when you read Genesis ask God to help you with those passages of scripture that may be difficult to comprehend or even hard to believe. Then see for yourself how God will respond to your request for Him to reveal to you His truths in a deeper way, He will open the eyes of your heart and give real meaning to your existence now and for all eternity.

Just Sayin………………..Dave