Ahead of "Modern" Science
Bill Brinkworth
The Bible has long been known to be the Word of God. It has proved itself true spiritually, historically, mathematically, prophetically, and scientifically. Many of today's scientific claims, facts, and truths were declared and recorded in the Bible thousands of years before man had "discovered" them. The only way those things could have been known ahead of modern discovery and recorded in the Bible is that they were revealed by God and preserved for us in His Word.
Here are a few of the hundreds of examples found in the pages of Scripture:
- The earth is round:
“It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth . . .” Isaiah 40:22.
Here, about 712 B. C. and more than 2,200 years before Christopher Columbus established it as modern scientific fact, the Bible stated that the earth was a circle, or round. As there were no satellites or means of viewing the earth from above, the only way Isaiah could have known this fact is that he got the truth from the Creator.
- Existence of dinosaurs and man cohabiting with them.
“Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass as an ox ... He moveth his tail like a cedar: … His bones are as strong pieces of brass; his bones are like bars of iron ...” Job 40:15-24
Approximately 1520 B. C., Job described in detail an animal that was larger than any seen today. Clearly, it is a description of a large dinosaur. It was not until 1824 that William Buckland documented one of the first dinosaurs, and it was not until the 1900’s that fossilized dinosaur and human footprints were found together in Glen Rose, Texas and in Africa. In addition, an 1186 A.D. carving on a Cambodian Temple is another evidence the artist saw a stegosaurus, and that dinosaurs were alive when man was on the earth.
- Life is in the blood.
“For the life of the flesh is in the blood ...” Leviticus 17:11.
William Harvey, in 1616, is attributed with discovering that blood circulation is most important for life. The verse in Leviticus was written over 3,000 years before Harvey’s discovery.
- Eating fat is unhealthy.
“Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, Ye shall eat no manner of fat, of ox, or of sheep, or of goat.” Lev. 7:23.
Written 1490 B. C., it was far in advance of the modern research that eating fat is not healthy.
- Man lived in caves. “They were driven forth from among men, (they cried after them as after a thief;) To dwell in the cliffs of the valleys, in caves of the earth, and in the rocks.” Job 30:5-6
This verse is believed to have been written about 1520 B. C., but it was not proven until around 1879, after paintings found in Spanish caves, proved that man lived in caves.
- Stars are different. “There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.” I Corinthians 15:41
This statement was made about 57 A. D., but the telescope was not invented by Hans Lipperhey until 1608, who was able to prove that stars were different from one another.
- Water in outer space. “And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.” Genesis 1:7
Attributed to be written more than 4,000 years B.C., this statement was written in advance of the CNN statement of December 3, 1996 that “ice most likely exists at the moon’s sun-deprived south pole”. It also precedes NASA’s 2000 announcement that they found evidence of water on Mars.
- The Bible is ahead of modern day discoveries in archaeology. Many times archaeologists use the descriptions in the Bible to find lost and forgotten cities. One could easily spend a busy month in Israel where a tour guide would point out cities, buildings, and artifacts that were mentioned in the Bible before they were even known to exist.
The Bible is scientifically accurate because its inspiring author was the Creator of all that we examine and wish to learn about. Kings, prophets, men, and rulers recorded exactly what God wanted us to know. We have a copy of it today in our King James Bible. It is a trustworthy source for answers to most of man’s questions. If the Bible says it, one can trust that it is true!
March 10, 2007, re-edited: 1/19/2015
This article was featured in The Bible View #486.