Factual Faith by J. Prinsloo - HTML preview

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and the fountains of waters.

From the passages above it is clear that the Bible is referring to an underground body of water

which formed part of the Earth when it was made. We see that Proverbs talks about the

fountains of the deep that were strengthened – this shows that it contained a body of water. We

also see that the foundation of the Earth is mentioned, which will not be removed forever. The

foundation or core is said to be covered by the deep as with a garment, giving us an indication

that the pre-flood Earth had a layer of water at some depth under the surface of the crust and

above the core of the Earth. Psalm 136 and Proverbs 30 refer to the Earth as being stretched

out over the waters and the waters being bound in a garment, giving us further confirmation of

the actual layout of the Earth before the Flood occurred. There are also distinctions made

between the sea and the fountains of water. Interestingly enough, the garment which is referred

to in two passages above, firstly points to the water covering the entire Earth as a garment and

secondly it describes the subterranean waters being covered by a “garment” before the Flood.

This is also linked to the position of the “deep” within the earth. A possible position may have

been between the crust of the Earth and the mantle, or between the upper and lower mantles.

When we refer to the Earth‟s mantle today this could also be seen as a garment – since a

“mantle” can also refer to a specific garment today. This once again shows how certain aspects

were mentioned in the Bible, long before they happen and draws these connections long before

these zones inside the Earth were named by modern day scientists.

If we consider this water body to have existed between the Crust of the Earth and the Earth‟s

mantle or somewhere within the mantle, the verses above would apply perfectly and would

accurately describe its existence and location. Do we however have evidence of this today? If

we accept that there once was a large body of water trapped somewhere under the Earth‟s

crust or inside the mantle, would we have some way of proving that it ever existed?

Surprisingly, there is evidence of this even today. We can also point to the remnants of this

subterranean water body, when we consider water that is still being pushed to the surface of the

Earth today from deep inside the Earth via underwater vents, fissures and hot springs found all

over the Earth, under the pressure of rock masses bearing down on these subterranean water

bodies, even after the passage of 4,500 years after the Flood. More evidence of this

phenomenon, recently discovered by seismologists from Washington University in St. Louis is

provided in an extract from LiveScience Journal in 2007.33 In the article, scientists Michael

Wysession and Jesse Lawrence explain how they have found evidence of a vast water reservoir

beneath eastern Asia that would comprise the volume of the Arctic Ocean. This is also the first

time that scientists discovered such a large body of water in the deep mantle of the earth

through the analysis of more than 600,000 seismographs measuring seismic waveforms as they

propogated through the planet. In their studies they were able to identify seismic waves slowing

down slightly and being dampened in specific areas of the mantle which would indicate the

presence of a large body of water.

When science advances enough for us to stumble upon evidence that was already proposed in

the Bible, it makes one realise how limited we as humans are in our ability to understand the

world around us. We ridicule any notion of a Creator and the information he provided us

through his Word. Later, when we realise that our understanding and technology was lacking,

we replace the old theories with new theories, even though we know that they are incorrect

when compared to the evidence.

Continuing on our quest to rebuild a pre-flood scenario: In verse 7 of Genesis Chapter 1, God

created the firmament to divide the waters into 2 partitions. In today‟s language it may not be

crystal clear where the firmament would be located or what the Bible intends the reader to

understand when talking about the firmament. Fortunately, there is always an answer to

questions like these, which can also be found within the Bible. We know that the Bible refers to

the sky when talking about the firmament, because it is clearly described in the following

passage.

Gen 1:20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature

that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.

This implies that the firmament mentioned in the Bible refers to the sky or the Earth‟s

atmosphere.

Going back to the division of waters above and below the firmament or sky, we have to ac cept

that water above the sky would have had to be somewhere in the stratosphere, while the water

under the sky would be in oceans and in “the deep”. The oceans or seas exposed to the sky,

would have been smaller in volume before the Flood, fed by rivers form from the runoff of the

mist from out of the ground. Let us evaluate all this information in a bit more detail and see

what the effects would be on the environment, that people lived in, and how this could possibly

all fit together.

In the first place, considering the Earth‟s present water cycles, we know that the amount of

water on the surface of the planet, in relationship to exposed land masses, is sufficient to

provide us with a water cycle in which we have evaporation, condensation and precipitation all

over the globe. It also causes seasonal weather patterns that are influenced by the sun‟s

warming of the Earth and the Earth‟s rotation on its axis, in relation to the sun. The moon

influences the tides in the oceans essential for maintaining marine life and life in general.

Today, there is no defined layer of water, suspended high-up above the sky that would remain

there under normal conditions, but we know that water can be suspended in the atmosphere in

the form of ice crystals.34 The mist on the Earth may have been caused by pressure that was

exerted on water inside the Earth, by the crust, or parts of the mantle as well, through gravity -

depending on where the water under the Earth, locked up in the “storehouses” of the “fountains

of the deep”- was located exactly. Under immense pressure from the crust, and/or mantle,

bearing down on this water layer, this water may have surfaced through fissures, capillaries or

pathways in the crust. Water would also have been heated by the relative temperature of the

rock at the depth at which it was located. What is interesting is that where water is delivered to

the surface of the planet, slightly warmer than ambient temperature, it would have had a

profound impact on plant life. It has been found through experimentation that when plants grow

in an environment, where ultra-violet light is filtered out and where carbon dioxide content in the

air is increased, they flourish and bear more fruit than under normal conditions today.35 A

continuous mist watering system would also have ensured sustained plant growth all through

the year all over the earth as plants would not have been dependent on rainfall for their water.

Hail, weather storms and other negative environmental impacts would also not have existed

before this time. Added to this we can now also consider the layer of water in the stratosphere.

We would obviously need to ask the question of how a layer of water would be able to remain

suspended above the Earth and at the same time, comply with the laws of physics we know to

exist today.

Here is a possible explanation of how this could have occurred: Firstly, if we consider the fact

that the Earth‟s magnetic field strength has been scientifical y proven to have diminished by

10% over the past 150 years, we know that if we extrapolate this weakening tendency backward

into the past, the magnetic field generated by the Earth‟s geo-dynamo would have been

stronger the further back one goes in time.36 If we also consider the “fountains of the deep” in

the time before the flood and the vast amount of water it could have contained, according to the

Bible, it may also have served as lubrication agent to the rotational action of the Earth‟s core.

We know from physics that an increase in rotational speed of the Earth‟s core in relation to the

surface would have led to a larger dynamo effect and as a result, the generation of an even

stronger magnetic field around the Earth. We also know that water exhibits diamagnetic

properties - water is repelled when exposed to a magnetic field.37 Although this effect is not

very strong, it is factual and does exist.

Now to recreate a scenario where we have a substantial body or layer of water that would be

suspended in the stratosphere or above the Earth‟s atmosphere, we would obviously have

some forces working on it. Firstly, there would be the effect of gravity. This would draw the

water towards the surface of the Earth and the amount of gravitational pull depended on the

distance from the Earth. We know that the inverse square law is valid in gravitational force

calculations, which means that if you decrease the distance between two objects under

gravitational influence by 4 or it becomes 1/4 of the previous distance, the gravitational force

that is exerted between the objects will increase by a factor of 16. Put differently – the force

with which the objects attract each other will be multiplied by 16 or the inverse of (¼), squared.38

If we now have a strong magnetic field, generated by mechanics within the Earth that are

different to what we have today - considering that through extrapolating back in time, we arrive

at a stronger magnetic field, using the mechanics inside the Earth after the Flood, and also

keeping in mind that the core would probably have had more mobility within the Earth (provided

by the additional water lubrication from the fountains of the deep, before the Flood) what would

be the outcome? If this layer of water existed homogenously between the crust and the mantle,

it may have prevented contact between the inner and outer layers of rock and aid in the mobility

of the core inside the Earth – just as one would have with a present day ball-bearing for

example. Once you remove the oil, it will fail rather quickly and mobility will be impaired. In the

Earth‟s case, it may have had a profound impact on magnetic field generation. We find this

interesting verse in Psalms below:

Psa 82:5 They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all

the foundations of the earth are out of course.

If we keep these possibilities in mind, we could reach a point of equilibrium where water could

be suspended above the Earth‟s atmosphere: If a spherical layer of water‟s distance from the

Earth was such, that the force exerted on it through the Earth‟s gravity equal ed the repelling

force of a strong enough magnetic field that repelled the water with as much force, we would

have a favourable result and water would be able to exist in a suspended condition above the

atmosphere. This layer of water, in the form of ice, may have prevented more of the sun‟s

harmful particles and rays reaching the surface of the planet. Today we have discovered that

there is an Ozone layer which is very effective in preventing harmful UV-B radiation reaching the

surface of the planet. The rate, at which this layer of Ozone is diminishing, could also be

attributed to some degree to the Earth‟s magnetic field weakening. The same conditions today

would explain the existence of the Ozone layer which is found to form at a specific height above

the Earth. The ozone molecules have specific properties that are impacted by gravity, the

electromagnetic field that is generated by the Earth, as well as the current composition of the

atmosphere.39

So we now have a situation in which the Earth, having a stronger magnetic field, maintains a

layer of water in a zone above the atmosphere where the forces that act on the water are in

equilibrium. We also have a different ratio between exposed landmasses on Earth and water -

accumulated on the surface of the earth - based on the fact that it did not rain before the Flood.

Plants were watered continually from a mist that came up from the ground, and together with

the water layer above, the atmosphere would have resulted in a greenhouse effect that would

have been perfect for plant growth and producing optimal conditions for plant life. Some other

qualities that we can derive from this configuration would be the following:

A: -- Since conditions on Earth would be such that plant growth would be favoured at any

location on the Earth, including the polar regions, (where Mammoths today are uncovered,

frozen with tropical plant material in their mouths, as if they were frozen in an instant under the

present day ice layers) deserts would not exist anywhere on the planet.

B: -- With more plants around the globe on larger landmasses, the gases that would have been

found in the atmosphere, would definitely have contained additional oxygen and ha ving a

boundary layer of water outside the atmosphere, could have led to gases being trapped in the

atmosphere and an increase in air pressure. This has been confirmed by tests, which were

conducted on fossilised tree wax or amber that had trapped air bubbles in it, where it was found

that the air, contained in these bubbles, had about 50% additional oxygen in its composition.40

We also know that oxygen treatment is used in a hyperbaric chamber today. When a patient

with an injury is placed inside a pressurised vessel and the added oxygen under increased air

pressure, it results in improved and more rapid healing.41 It is almost as if the human body was

designed to operate under conditions that were significantly different to what we experience on

Earth today. The prevailing conditions today do not fully support these requirements and

therefore our bodies are no longer able to survive as long as they used to, during the

antediluvian age.

C: -- The layer of water or ice above the atmosphere would also have had an impact on the

sun‟s effect on the Earth. We know that today our atmosphere and a thin layer of Ozone alone,

consisting of gases only, in conjunction with the magnetic field that is generated by the Earth,

protects us from a reasonable amount of the harmful effects of the sun. These would include

ultra-violet, gamma and x-rays. At the Earth‟s Polar Regions, we can also see the effects of

these harmful agents on our atmosphere in brilliant displays of the Aurora Borealis as charged

particles from the sun are captured in the Earth‟s magnetic field. Where the Ozone layer has

been depleted it leads to an increased rate of sunburn, skin disease and skin cancers in people

who live in those regions.42 Imagine how an additional layer of ice above the atmosphere would

have contributed to preventing damage from the sun impacting on life on Earth.

These factors would all have contributed to very favourable life-supporting conditions on Earth.

So what would then have caused the Flood and what could have happened that resulted in the

entire Earth being overrun and covered with water?

According to the Bible, the pre-flood conditions prevailed for 1,656 years. How was the water

mist delivered to the surface of the Earth? Considering the fact that a constant flow of water

was delivered to the entire surface area of the planet, in the form of a mist, the volume of

subterranean water, which would have supplied this mist, would have diminished over the

centuries. Added to this, consider the possibility of this layer of water serving as a lubricating

section between the inner parts of the planet, resulting in differing rotational speeds between the

inner and outer parts. It may be that as water was slowly pushed out from the great deep, to

provide the mist on the surface of the planet, that the clearance between the inner and outer

planes, on each side of this water layer, could have closed in on each other. Assuming that

these layers would have had inconsistencies and that they were not perfectly smooth and

spherical, some parts of the inner and outer rock layers may at some point have come into

contact with each other. The diminishing of clearance between the rock layers, due to water

being forced to the surface, may have resulted in the onset of a chain reaction, which would

have led to the Flood. The crack may also have been caused by a passing celestial body, of

enough mass to exert a gravitational effect on the Earth, that could have caused contact

between rock layers, moving at different speeds. A sudden contact between the outer and inner

rock layers could have exerted enough breaking force on sections of the crust above the contact

point, to cause it to tear or a rupture in the crust to occur. This would have been aided by the

immense pressure on the water trapped under the weight of these rocks. This tear in the crust

would have raced around the globe in a matter of minutes as the water pushed through the

crack and forced the two opposing sides of the crack away from each other, while sections of

crust on both sides of the crack were still relatively well suspended on a water cushion. This

crack in the Earth‟s crust would have released a torrent of water, never seen on Earth before

and also never to be witnessed again. It would have shot up into the atmosphere for miles at

supersonic speeds, bringing with it millions of tons of sediment from friction caused by the water

rushing past miles of rocks through the cracks on its way up to the surface of the planet, and

sweeping sediment with it, as it rushed out into the air and onto the surface of the Earth.

According to the Bible, this release of water went on for 40 days and therefore there must have

been a substantial volume of water released from below the surface of the Earth. While the

water was released (through the cracks and the sides of the rocks eroded away by the friction

and resulting in sediment that was deposited onto the surface of the Earth) the floating

landmasses that were still cushioned by water, would start to move away from each other.

These moving sections of crust would then pick up speed over a period of 40 days, drifting away

from the crack‟s origin, while stil floating on the remaining subterranean water layer. As these

land masses moved away from each other, the width of the crack between them would widen

and the speed of the flow of water from beneath would decrease, due to increased surface area.

As these tectonic plates started moving away from each other, the underlying layers which had

been under immense pressure from the crust above, were no longer pushed down by the crust

and as a result bulged out as we can see today in areas of the planet such as the mid-Atlantic

ridge. This ridge would be perpendicular to the movements of the plates as they slid away from

the crack. As the water ran out from under these moving sections of crust, the pieces of floating

crust would also come to a sudden stop as they came into contact with the mantle, once the

water lubrication was sufficiently depleted. As these floating plates, now moving at speed away

from the crack origin, came into contact with lower layers of rock no longer being lubricated by

the water layer, which was now mostly all forced out onto the surface of the earth, they would

then buckle up or down. This force would push up the landmasses before them to form high

mountain ranges such as the Andes, or Rockies; or down, forming deep ocean trenches as the

plates pushed down into the mantle. Such an event would perfectly fit the evidence that is

found in the Geologic Column today. It would cause instantaneous burial of plant and animal

material, as well as humans living during that time.

In addition to this, the removal of the lubricating layer between the crust and the mantle may

also have had a profound impact on the water suspended above the atmosphere. We know

that while the subterranean water layer existed, the Earth‟s magnetic field was strong enough to

counteract the gravitational pull that was exerted on the water, suspended above the

atmosphere. With that water removed, and the Earth‟s electro-mechanical function adversely

affected, and because we can today measure a continuous decline in Earth‟s magnetic field

strength, we can postulate that gravity would have overcome the magnetic field‟s influence on

the layer of water above the atmosphere as a result of the rotational core mechanics being

altered. This layer of water above the atmosphere ( under a gravitational pull that would now be

stronger than the force exerted by the electro-magnetic field) would have rained down on the

Earth adding to the subterranean water, which was released onto the surface, resulting in a

massive deluge that would have covered the entire planet. With the layer of water above the

atmosphere removed, a weaker magnetic field and new water to landmass ratio on the surface

of the planet, affecting gas composition, air pressure and an altered level of protection against

cosmic radiation, the previous conditions on Earth would be changed forever and forgotten over

time. Imagine also the effect of such an event on plant and animal life. There would be a total

wipe-out of all life, while some of the animal and plant remains would be buried under the

massive quantities of sediment that would spew out of the crack and later roll out sideways,

away from the cracks onto the surface of the planet. These would bury animals and plants,

rapidly cutting off exposure to decaying agents and allow the remains to fossilise during the

subsequent years that followed. The sequence of events portrayed in such a scenario, although

all the mechanics and the physical cause of such a catastrophe may not be 100% accurate,

comes a lot closer to matching the evidence around us in the world today, while it utilises the

information as portrayed in the Bible as a foundation. Discovering the processes by which the

Creator placed the water layer above the atmosphere in the first place or how a water layer

ended up between rock-layers beneath the earth may be a futile exercise. If we consider that

the firmament was created in a day and that it divided the waters; we may as well assume that

God put it there himself, just because he could do whatever he pleased and has the power to do

so by just uttering the words. If he can create out of nothing, he can surely put water between

layers of rock or up in the sky and put forces in place that would keep it there for a certain

period of time.

Psa 119:105 NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

These new discoveries point to the fact that our understanding of the Earth and its composition

is ever in need of improvement, but if we keep to what the Bible describes and fit our knowledge

to the information contained therein, we stay on a path that would eventually point us in the right

direction.

Another section from the Bible that specifically anticipates and addresses the Theory of

Evolution is given in the passages below:

Rom 1:19 - 32 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for

God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of

the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his

eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when

they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became

vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing

themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the