Science is a systematic knowledge of the physical or material universe gained by observable facts. Sacred writings of all religions contain a system of faith, yet each do make statements that provide a uniquely valid test to prove their authenticity. If their scientific observations are, in reality, superstitions reflective of the culture in which they were written, these so called sacred books are disqualified as the inspired Word of God. If, indeed, the scientific observations of any of these purported Holy Scripture agree with the facts of science today, then that Bible is the inspired Word of a true and living God. Why? The Creator and God of the universe is the author of the scientific laws that govern His universe. Only the God of science could cause scientific facts to be recorded in a book—the Bible—hundreds in some cases thousands of years before scientists discover them. The following are examples of remarkable scientific observations found in the Judeo-Christian Bible.
What Holds Up the Earth: Three thousand years ago the Hindu scriptures recorded the earth was resting on the backs of several huge elephants. The elephants were resting on the back of a very large turtle that was swimming in a sea. Greek mythology claims that the god Atlas was holding the earth on his shoulders. But our Bible says in Job 26:7 that God “hangeth the earth on nothing.” What a remarkable statement of fact. The earth is suspended in space. Nothing is holding it up. How did Job know this scientific fact? Only God could have revealed this to Job.
Flat Versus Round Earth: For thousands of years people believed the earth was flat. This was taught in both Hindu and Buddhist scripture. In the 1500s AD, the first ship sailed around the world. This proved the earth was round. But the round earth was recorded in the Judeo-Christian Bible long before man discovered it. The prophet Isaiah (40:22) spoke of the “circle of the earth.” Solomon wrote, “He [God] set a compass [circle] upon the face of the deep.” (Proverbs 8:27) In the 1900s, Arabs spoke of infidels being pushed over the edge into space. About 3,000 years ago, our Bible said the earth was round. This was not discovered until 500 years ago.
Sun, Moon and Stars: Ancient people were afraid of the sun, moon and stars. They thought they were living gods. But over 5,000 years ago, the Judeo-Christian Bible in the first chapter of Genesis pointed out that the sun, moon and stars were material objects created by God. Remember, our God states that He is the one and only God. This proves the sun, moon and stars that He created are not gods.
Eclipses are an example of what people feared. An eclipse happens when the sun’s light is blocked by the earth or moon. The moon is bright because it reflects the sun’s light. But when the earth blocks that light, the moon looks like it is disappearing. Some religions taught that eclipses happened when the moon was mad at the earth and turned its face away. The Chinese believed that an eclipse was caused by a demon beast that ate the sun. God told Jeremiah (10:2): “Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.” God went on to reassure Jeremiah that the universe is under His control. (Jeremiah 10:2) Later scientists learned that heavenly bodies were not alive and that man need not fear them. Thousands of years before scientists discovered that the planetary bodies were inanimate, the Judeo-Christian Bible contained this scientific fact.
The Bottom of the Ocean: Until modern times, people thought the ocean floor was sandy like the desert and saucer shaped. This was even true of the pre-1900 geologists. But in the 1900s, oceanographers found the sea had many deep valleys or canyons—the deepest were called trenches. The Marianas Trench in the Pacific is so deep that if Mt. Everest (29,000 feet high) was dropped into it, the peak would still be a mile below the water’s surface. The Atlantic Ocean contains an undersea range of mountains 10,000 miles long. Nearly 3,000 years ago the Judeo-Christian Bible spoke of the valleys and mountains of the sea. In Psalm 18:15 (NIV) David wrote of God being the Creator of “the valleys of the sea.” God asked Job (38:16 NIV): “Have you walked in the recesses [valleys] of the sea?” The prophet Jonah was thrown off a ship and spoke of falling to the bottom of the mountains in the sea. Jonah 2:6
The Paths of the Sea: In the 1800s, Matthew Maury, an officer in the United States Navy loved to read his Bible. One day Maury was reading about the dominion man was given over the animals in Psalm 8. He was amazed that verse spoke of the fish and all creatures that swim in the “paths of the sea.” Paths of the sea?— he never knew there was such a thing. Determined to find these paths, Maury discovered that the oceans have many currents, like river paths flowing through the sea. Maury wrote the first book on oceanography and became known as the pathfinder of the seas—the father of modern navigation. He received his idea about ocean currents from reading Psalm 8:8 which was written about 3,000 years ago by King David who wrote as he was moved by the Spirit of God and probably never actually saw an ocean.
Lightning, Thunder and Rain: In ancient times, most religious scripture taught that lightning bolts were missiles thrown in anger by their gods. In China, Taoist scripture regarded the rainbow as a deadly rain dragon. In Confucius scripture, the goddess of lightning flashed light on intended victims to enable the god of thunder to launch his deadly bolts accurately. Some tried to stab holes in the clouds with spears to cause it to rain. Hindu scripture advised to tie a frog with its mouth open to the right tree and say the right words and rain would fall. Our Bible also talks about rain, lightning and storms. But it contains none of these superstitious ideas found in the other so-called scriptures.
The Judeo-Christian Bible taught that earth’s weather followed rules and cycles. Genesis 8:22. “While the earth remaineth, seed time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” Job stated (28:26): “God made decrees [rules] for the rain. And He set a way for the lightning of the thunder.” Centuries later, scientists began to discern these rules for the rain. Rainfall is part of a process called the water cycle: the sun evaporates water from the ocean; this vapor rises to become clouds; these fall back to earth as rain, collects in streams and rivers and makes its way back to the ocean. About 300 years ago, Galileo discovered this cycle, but amazingly the Scriptures described this cycle centuries before. The prophet Amos (9:6) wrote that God “calls for the water of the sea. He pours them out on the land.” Actually, scientists are just beginning to fully understand God’s “decrees or rules for the rain.” Since BC 68 it was thought that somehow thunder triggered the rainfall. Now scientists are beginning to realize that as stated in Job 28:26, it is lightning that triggers the rain to fall. Job knew this 3,000 years ago.
The Stars of Heaven: Remember the story of Job’s sorrows? Job was extremely wealthy—enjoying a wonderful family. Then tragedy struck. He lost his wealth, his children were killed and his wife deserted him. Then Job lay in excruciating pain, covered with sores from head to toe. All this was too much for Job, and he accused God of being unjust. In response, God merely raised questions concerning the wonders of His creation. Three of these questions found in Job 38:31, 32, illustrate the dynamic logic conveyed by the Author of science:
Orion: “Canst thou . . . loose the bands of Orion?” Garrett P. Serviss, the noted astronomer, wrote about Orion’s band in his book Curiosities of the Sky: “At the present time this band consists of an almost perfect straight line, a row of second- magnitude stars about equally spaced and of the most striking beauty. In the course of time, however, the two right-hand stars, Mintaka and Alnilam, will approach each other and form a naked-eye double; but the third, Alnitak, will drift away eastward so that the band will no longer exist.” These stars that we see forming one of the bands of Orion are like three ships out on the high seas that happen to be in line at the present moment, but in the future will be separated by thousands of miles of ocean. They are bound for different ports—journeying to different corners of the universe. Thus, the bands of Orion are being loosed and shall be dissolved in time.
Pleiades: “Canst thou bind the sweet influence of the Pleiades . . . ?” The seven stars of the Pleiades are in reality a grouping of 250 blazing suns all traveling together in one common direction. From Lick Observatory came this statement of Dr. Robert J. Trumpler: “The Pleiades stars may thus be compared to a swarm of birds, flying together to a distant goal. This leaves no doubt that the Pleiades are not a temporary or accidental agglomeration of stars, but a system in which the stars are bound together by a close kinship.” Without any reference whatsoever to the Book of Job, Dr. Trumpler announced that these discoveries prove exactly what God said: “Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades?” In other words, can you keep them bound together so that they remain as a family of suns?
Arcturus: “Canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons?” Garrett P. Serviss wrote: “Arcturus, one of the greatest suns in the universe, is a runaway whose speed of flight is 257 miles per second. Arcturus, we have every reason to believe, possesses thousands of times the mass of our sun.” Our sun is traveling only 12.5 miles a second, but Arcturus is traveling 257 miles a second! A further observation of Arcturus by Serviss reveals: “It could be turned into a new course by a close approach to a great sun, but it could only be stopped by collision head on with a body of enormous mass. Barring such accidents, it must, as far as we can see, keep on until it has traversed our stellar system, whence it may escape and pass out into space beyond to join perhaps one of those other island universes…”
Charles Burckhalter, of the Chabot Observatory, added an interesting note regarding this great sun: “This high velocity places Arcturus in that very small class of stars that apparently are a law unto themselves… Arcturus is a runaway. Newton gives the velocity of a star under control as not more than 25 miles a second, and Arcturus is going 257 miles a second. Therefore, combined attraction of all the stars we know cannot stop him or even turn him in his path.”
When Mr. Burckhalter had his attention called to this text in the book of Job, he studied it in the light of modern discovery and made a statement that has attracted worldwide attention: “The study of the Book of Job and its comparison with the latest scientific discoveries has brought me to the matured conviction that the Bible is an inspired book and was written by the One who made the stars.” Indeed, Arcturus and his sons are not runaways. They will not crash. Why? God is guiding them.
These scientific facts recorded in the book of Job concerning the Pleiades, Orion and Arcturus anticipated scientific discovery by nearly 3,000 years. Scientists only discovered these startling facts in the Twentieth Century, yet they were recorded in the book of Job nearly 3000 years ago. Some write off the history of Job as Old Testament folklore. However, the account of Job cannot be gainsaid. In Job’s distress, God was telling him that I am caring for the details of the universe, do you doubt that I not only care for the details of your life, but I have the ability to solve your problems? Trust that there is a good reason I am permitting these tragedies. Remember Job, I work from the perspective of your eternal welfare.
Judeo-Christian Scripture made scientific observations that were confirmed centuries later by modern science, while the writings of other religions merely reflected the superstitions of their culture. How could the Judeo-Christian Scripture anticipate scientific discovery by 3,000 years? The Holy Bible was written by men inspired by the Creator of the Universe — the God of science. “Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:21) Only the Judeo-Christian Bible is the Divine Revelation provided by our infinite Creator to direct us in the path to eternity.