Hello All,
(Just a general disclaimer that I must insert here at the beginning. I am but a lay person, like most of you. And these weekly “thoughts” are but my own. Not the definitive word on this or any topic. Just my own conclusions derived from my own study and faith in God. The greatest hope I have for these weekly “thoughts” is to have them be a springboard for further study on your part. Not to be a weekly treatise to be blindly accepted. So, please read them with this intent, this motive in mind).
Thanks to all for your support during this time of loss for my daughter and me, and support for those who loved Kevin and love us. We all are a true family despite the separation of miles. A family in Christ, with the same Father.
Pythagoras (of the famous mathematical Pythagorean Theorem for triangles) was one of the first to develop the concept of a round earth in ~500 BC with the help of an experiment by Eratosthenes. Pythagoras surmised that if the observable planets and moons were round, then so must earth be round. The lunar eclipse (when the earth’s round shadow passes over the moon) gave added credence. And then Eratosthenes using Pythagoras’ theorem did an experiment on the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere (~ June 21). He knew that precisely at noon on that day, the sun was directly overhead casting no shadows and perfectly shining straight down to the bottom of water wells in the city of Syrene. He wondered if this was true in Alexandria, 800 KM away from Syrene, too. So by driving a stick perfectly perpendicular to the earth on that day in Alexandria, he discovered a 7 degree shadow on the ground. This proved that the earth had a curve and was not flat (if the earth was flat, the sun directly overhead would cause no shadows over the entire face of the flat earth). This showed the earth’s circumference to be ~ 40,000 KM (in actuality, it is 40,030 KM… WOW!). 500 years before the birth of Christ, we knew the earth was round and its circumference with incredible accuracy.
This underscores an important concept. Science, using observations, reasoning, and recording/ analyzing data has eliminated so much superstition. It has shown us cause and effect. It has peeled away secrets long hidden from mankind. And this science need not be adversarial to faith and the Bible. Shame on the faithful who sets faith in God at odds with science. The problem with science is not what scientists have discovered, but how secular scientists interpret what has been discovered. There are many respected Biblical scientists that maintain that scientific discoveries VALIDATE the Bible. And isn’t this what you would expect? Should we not expect that the discoveries of science, if placed in the light of Biblical truth, validate and support the God of creation who claims the Bible as a revelation of Himself? And if scientific discoveries seem to contradict the Bible, it’s possible that the discoveries are correct, but the interpretation of the facts is incomplete or misapplied. One of the compelling facts about Seventh-Day Adventists in general is that our faith in God has led us to embrace science, not disparage science.
One of the ideas that I personally maintain, is that 1844 was not prophesied arbitrarily. That this is the time when the scientific method of reasoning had debunked (and continues to debunk) so much superstition. That this method paved the way to understand the true nature of our God. That He does not punish you with lung-cancer because you smoke. That syphilis is not His punishment for sexual promiscuity (nor is AIDS). That puddles do not create mosquitos or tadpoles. That there really are microscopic germs that cause disease. And that sin itself is what destroys you and your mind. The scientific method of reasoning has set the stage to understand cause and effect. And to understand our God of Love. A God who forgives us sinners of all our waywardness and rebellion. But does not stop the natural consequences of that waywardness and rebellion.
This is so important as we enter the last days. We who know God best must represent Him aright. Not just in what we say of Him, but how we live because of what we know. Let us not revile the scientific method of reasoning. But let us prayerfully consider what is revealed. Our God can be magnified in the discovery… if we give Him the opportunity to lead us to the correct interpretation.
With brotherly love,
Jim