The Confirmation
Einstein, Hubble, and Penzias and Wilson made three great cosmological discoveries of the 20th century: colliding gamma rays form matter and light, the heavens expand, and we have photographs of the first light in the universe. Without recourse to cyclotrons or telescopes or satellites, Moses interweaves correctly these discoveries into the first eight verses of his narrative. He gives the same account of the early universe. He wrote thousands of years before the 20th century. Correctly anticipating three out of three major scientific discoveries by chance is very improbable. The agreement between the discoveries of precise science and the ancient narrative confirms the Bible.
The probability of “just happening to be right” is very small. Ancient writers, like modern writers, usually wrote about things their readers understood and could accept. The Genesis narrative says light appeared on the first day but does not mention the Sun until the fourth day. For centuries people criticized the narrative for that. Now we know that the first light appeared long before the Sun formed. The first light is 13 820 million years old. The Sun, like the Earth, is about 4 650 million years old. Because of precise science, we now know that the narrative rightly puts the first light before the Sun.
A Challenging Question
No one foresaw or planned this agreement. Bible scholars immediately pose a challenging question.
The question annoys some people, but no one has ever offered a plausible explanation leaving God out.
Moses is a character who appears in the Bible story beginning in Exodus, the second book. Let’s consider the possibility that the character is the narrative is really the author of the first five books of the Bible. We will allow Moses to speak for himself. Where does Moses say he got his information?
Moses explains (Exodus 33:11) and God confirms (Numbers 12:7–8) that Moses talked with God face to face, as a man talks with his friend. If this statement is true, it explains how Moses got accurate cosmological information. God knew how He made the universe, and He explained it to His friend Moses, in terms that an intelligent, educated man of the time could understand.
Moses claims he had a special privilege. Seers and prophets may have dreams and visions, but Moses says his contact with God was more direct. Prophets usually say that they listen to God and report what He says. Moses claims that he conversed with God, asking God questions and hearing God’s answers. This is an extraordinary claim.
Skeptics often say that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. Moses has that kind of evidence. He got the true story right, thousands of years before anyone had the instruments and methods of science that could make the three discoveries. Some have suggested that Moses was fantasizing when he thought he was talking with God. Many scientists wish that their own fantasies would similarly lead to real scientific discoveries.
Those who believe that God inspired the writing of the Bible have no problem explaining how Moses could be right, because they accept the rest of the narrative. The writer of the first five books of the Bible is, according to the story they unfold, a man named Moses who talked with God face to face. The challenge is to explain how the correct story became embedded in ancient literature if God does not exist or is always silent.
How can an ancient narrative incorporate correctly three fundamental discoveries of modern cosmology, unless God inspired its writing?
Einstein, Hubble, and Penzias and Wilson made three great cosmological discoveries of the 20th century: colliding gamma rays form matter and light, the heavens expand, and we have photographs of the first light in the universe. Without recourse to cyclotrons or telescopes or satellites, Moses interweaves correctly these discoveries into the first eight verses of his narrative. He gives the same account of the early universe. He wrote thousands of years before the 20th century. Correctly anticipating three out of three major scientific discoveries by chance is very improbable. The agreement between the discoveries of precise science and the ancient narrative confirms the Bible.
The probability of “just happening to be right” is very small. Ancient writers, like modern writers, usually wrote about things their readers understood and could accept. The Genesis narrative says light appeared on the first day but does not mention the Sun until the fourth day. For centuries people criticized the narrative for that. Now we know that the first light appeared long before the Sun formed. The first light is 13 820 million years old. The Sun, like the Earth, is about 4 650 million years old. Because of precise science, we now know that the narrative rightly puts the first light before the Sun.
A Challenging Question
No one foresaw or planned this agreement. Bible scholars immediately pose a challenging question.
The question annoys some people, but no one has ever offered a plausible explanation leaving God out.
Moses is a character who appears in the Bible story beginning in Exodus, the second book. Let’s consider the possibility that the character is the narrative is really the author of the first five books of the Bible. We will allow Moses to speak for himself. Where does Moses say he got his information?
Moses explains (Exodus 33:11) and God confirms (Numbers 12:7–8) that Moses talked with God face to face, as a man talks with his friend. If this statement is true, it explains how Moses got accurate cosmological information. God knew how He made the universe, and He explained it to His friend Moses, in terms that an intelligent, educated man of the time could understand.
Moses claims he had a special privilege. Seers and prophets may have dreams and visions, but Moses says his contact with God was more direct. Prophets usually say that they listen to God and report what He says. Moses claims that he conversed with God, asking God questions and hearing God’s answers. This is an extraordinary claim.
Skeptics often say that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. Moses has that kind of evidence. He got the true story right, thousands of years before anyone had the instruments and methods of science that could make the three discoveries. Some have suggested that Moses was fantasizing when he thought he was talking with God. Many scientists wish that their own fantasies would similarly lead to real scientific discoveries.
Those who believe that God inspired the writing of the Bible have no problem explaining how Moses could be right, because they accept the rest of the narrative. The writer of the first five books of the Bible is, according to the story they unfold, a man named Moses who talked with God face to face. The challenge is to explain how the correct story became embedded in ancient literature if God does not exist or is always silent.
How can an ancient narrative incorporate correctly three fundamental discoveries of modern cosmology, unless God inspired its writing?