DOES OUR BLOOD PROVE EVOLUTION?
Ephesians 2:13
“ But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.”
One of the early evidences for evolution, at one time found in almost every school textbook, was based upon the salt content of human blood plasma and the salt content of the sea. Professor Macallum of the University of Toronto began with the assumption that life on earth began in the sea and that the first land creatures had retained that sea salt concentration in their blood. This assumption was then turned and used as textbook evidence that evolution had, in fact, taken place.
Such so-called evidence may appear laughable today but we should be reminded that what was in school textbooks, had to be learned and is still in the collective consciousness of many today. Just what are the facts? Human blood plasma has 250 times more iron and 9,000 times more selenium than sea water. On the other hand, sea water contains much more magnesium than our blood so it is simply untrue that the mineral content of our blood reflects that of sea water of long ago. However, blood plasma does contain between 20 and 30 percent of the amount of salt in present day sea water and, while this may appear to be a good argument for evolution, it contains a fatal flaw. According to evolution theory the first land animals emerged from the sea 350 million years ago but from the known rates at which minerals are being added to the sea, the salt content at that time would have been virtually zero and the mineral content even less!
Our blood offers no proof of evolution. But the shed blood and Resurrection of Jesus Christ proves His victory over sin, death and the devil.
I thank You, Lord, for Your sacrifice so I might live eternally. Amen.
Ephesians 2:13
“ But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.”
One of the early evidences for evolution, at one time found in almost every school textbook, was based upon the salt content of human blood plasma and the salt content of the sea. Professor Macallum of the University of Toronto began with the assumption that life on earth began in the sea and that the first land creatures had retained that sea salt concentration in their blood. This assumption was then turned and used as textbook evidence that evolution had, in fact, taken place.
Such so-called evidence may appear laughable today but we should be reminded that what was in school textbooks, had to be learned and is still in the collective consciousness of many today. Just what are the facts? Human blood plasma has 250 times more iron and 9,000 times more selenium than sea water. On the other hand, sea water contains much more magnesium than our blood so it is simply untrue that the mineral content of our blood reflects that of sea water of long ago. However, blood plasma does contain between 20 and 30 percent of the amount of salt in present day sea water and, while this may appear to be a good argument for evolution, it contains a fatal flaw. According to evolution theory the first land animals emerged from the sea 350 million years ago but from the known rates at which minerals are being added to the sea, the salt content at that time would have been virtually zero and the mineral content even less!
Our blood offers no proof of evolution. But the shed blood and Resurrection of Jesus Christ proves His victory over sin, death and the devil.
I thank You, Lord, for Your sacrifice so I might live eternally. Amen.
HOW IMPORTANT WAS JERUSALEM IN DAVID'S DAY?
2 Samuel 5:7
“Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion that is, the City of David.“
The Bible portrays Jerusalem as an established city of some importance even at the time of Abraham. Yet many Biblical scholars describe Jerusalem as, at best, an unimportant settlement as late as the time of David in 1000 B.C. Now a Biblical scholar may have found the evidence to settle the issue in favor of the Biblical history.
The new finds were all previously documented, but they were considered only curiosities. The first piece of evidence was found underneath the site of a Byzantine church in Jerusalem. It is a slab of stone mounted as a monument. Both sides of it are covered with Egyptian hieroglyphics. Another team of archaeologists discovered two clearly Egyptian alabaster vessels in Jerusalem. Their style dates them to the years of 1575 to 1308 B.C. Also beneath the church was a marble-like slab of stone with channels cut in it. While nothing like it has ever been associated with a Byzantine church, such slabs are commonly found as offering tables in Egyptian temples. Well, an excavation in Jerusalem has actually uncovered the site of an Egyptian temple and, finally, Egyptian records dating to the 14th century B.C. contain six letters from the Egyptian provincial ruler of Jerusalem.
Added together, these evidences not only describe Jerusalem as a city, but one of some importance, just as the Bible describes. It was important enough for the Egyptians to build a temple to one of their gods in Jerusalem itself and for David to make it his capital.
I thank You, Lord, that even the history in the Bible is reliable. Amen.
2 Samuel 5:7
“Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion that is, the City of David.“
The Bible portrays Jerusalem as an established city of some importance even at the time of Abraham. Yet many Biblical scholars describe Jerusalem as, at best, an unimportant settlement as late as the time of David in 1000 B.C. Now a Biblical scholar may have found the evidence to settle the issue in favor of the Biblical history.
The new finds were all previously documented, but they were considered only curiosities. The first piece of evidence was found underneath the site of a Byzantine church in Jerusalem. It is a slab of stone mounted as a monument. Both sides of it are covered with Egyptian hieroglyphics. Another team of archaeologists discovered two clearly Egyptian alabaster vessels in Jerusalem. Their style dates them to the years of 1575 to 1308 B.C. Also beneath the church was a marble-like slab of stone with channels cut in it. While nothing like it has ever been associated with a Byzantine church, such slabs are commonly found as offering tables in Egyptian temples. Well, an excavation in Jerusalem has actually uncovered the site of an Egyptian temple and, finally, Egyptian records dating to the 14th century B.C. contain six letters from the Egyptian provincial ruler of Jerusalem.
Added together, these evidences not only describe Jerusalem as a city, but one of some importance, just as the Bible describes. It was important enough for the Egyptians to build a temple to one of their gods in Jerusalem itself and for David to make it his capital.
I thank You, Lord, that even the history in the Bible is reliable. Amen.
WHEN A FEMALE BEE ISN'T EVEN A BEE
2 Corinthians 1:11
“Ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf.”
Blister beetles of California's Mojave Desert depend on solitary bees for their life cycle. However, the beetles have nothing of interest to offer the bees.
Blister beetle larvae are so tiny that dozens of them can infest the solitary bee's body. Riding on the female bee, they transfer into the solitary bee's nursery when the female lays her eggs. There the beetle larvae eat the pollen that the mother has packed there for her hatchlings. Once they pupate into wingless adults, they then need a male bee to carry them to a female so the next cycle of life can begin. To attract a male bee, large numbers of the beetles pile together into a clump that looks like a female bee. They will hold this shape for up to 2 weeks, waiting for a male bee to show interest. Researchers have also concluded that while in this position the beetles also generate the scent of a female bee ready to mate! Once a male bee gets close enough, the tiny beetles jump on his body. When he mates with a female, the beetles transfer to her body and wait for her to lay eggs. Scientists are amazed that the beetles, which are not social insects, are smart enough to work together to fool the male bees.
Obviously, the beetles did not design this clever strategy by themselves. The cooperation they show for their survival was designed and programmed into them by their wise Creator, perhaps to show us how important working together is for survival.
Lord, help Your people work together for the good of Your kingdom. Amen.
2 Corinthians 1:11
“Ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf.”
Blister beetles of California's Mojave Desert depend on solitary bees for their life cycle. However, the beetles have nothing of interest to offer the bees.
Blister beetle larvae are so tiny that dozens of them can infest the solitary bee's body. Riding on the female bee, they transfer into the solitary bee's nursery when the female lays her eggs. There the beetle larvae eat the pollen that the mother has packed there for her hatchlings. Once they pupate into wingless adults, they then need a male bee to carry them to a female so the next cycle of life can begin. To attract a male bee, large numbers of the beetles pile together into a clump that looks like a female bee. They will hold this shape for up to 2 weeks, waiting for a male bee to show interest. Researchers have also concluded that while in this position the beetles also generate the scent of a female bee ready to mate! Once a male bee gets close enough, the tiny beetles jump on his body. When he mates with a female, the beetles transfer to her body and wait for her to lay eggs. Scientists are amazed that the beetles, which are not social insects, are smart enough to work together to fool the male bees.
Obviously, the beetles did not design this clever strategy by themselves. The cooperation they show for their survival was designed and programmed into them by their wise Creator, perhaps to show us how important working together is for survival.
Lord, help Your people work together for the good of Your kingdom. Amen.
DARWIN'S FINCHES - NO PROOF OF EVOLUTION
Genesis 1:21
“ And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. “
During his visit to the Galapagos Islands Charles Darwin saw that each island was populated by a little finch. These birds were all very similar, yet from one island to another there were some differences in the size and shape of the beak. Darwin reasonably concluded that in the distant past a pair of these birds had been blown 600 miles from the mainland and had since multiplied and spread. The environment on each island was slightly different and the birds had developed specialized beaks to exploit the different food sources; it seemed to Darwin that here was a unique example of evolution in action where 13 different species had arisen from just one mating pair.
A species is defined by the ability to reproduce, thus a sterility barrier separates one species from another. Textbooks use Darwin's finches to claim that new species have been produced, thus demonstrating evolution in action. However, the facts are that at least six of these different birds are known to interbreed and thus by definition are not new species at all but simply varieties within a single species. Moreover, DNA studies reveal very little difference between any of these birds and there is no evidence of new genetic material, which is essential if evolution actually took place.
Darwin's finches offer no support for evolution. However, they do support the Bible when it teaches that, like every other creature, the birds have simply reproduced "after their own kind." God has so designed His Creation that while it is possible for a creature to adapt perfectly to individual environments, there is still stability of the basic "kind."
Dear Father, I thank You for Your Word that tells me of salvation. Amen.
Genesis 1:21
“ And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. “
During his visit to the Galapagos Islands Charles Darwin saw that each island was populated by a little finch. These birds were all very similar, yet from one island to another there were some differences in the size and shape of the beak. Darwin reasonably concluded that in the distant past a pair of these birds had been blown 600 miles from the mainland and had since multiplied and spread. The environment on each island was slightly different and the birds had developed specialized beaks to exploit the different food sources; it seemed to Darwin that here was a unique example of evolution in action where 13 different species had arisen from just one mating pair.
A species is defined by the ability to reproduce, thus a sterility barrier separates one species from another. Textbooks use Darwin's finches to claim that new species have been produced, thus demonstrating evolution in action. However, the facts are that at least six of these different birds are known to interbreed and thus by definition are not new species at all but simply varieties within a single species. Moreover, DNA studies reveal very little difference between any of these birds and there is no evidence of new genetic material, which is essential if evolution actually took place.
Darwin's finches offer no support for evolution. However, they do support the Bible when it teaches that, like every other creature, the birds have simply reproduced "after their own kind." God has so designed His Creation that while it is possible for a creature to adapt perfectly to individual environments, there is still stability of the basic "kind."
Dear Father, I thank You for Your Word that tells me of salvation. Amen.
DON'T EAT THE RED SNOW
Psalm 147:16-17
“He giveth snow like wool: he scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes. He casteth forth his ice like morsels: who can stand before his cold?”
Over 2,000 years ago, Aristotle wrote about red snow. Today, red, orange and even green snow has been found on every continent. It is typically found in deep mountain snows in the late spring. The snow color is caused by any of 350 species of strange snow algae.
The pigments inside the resting algae cysts produce the colors. Even while resting in the nutrient-poor, highly acidic snow the cysts are photosynthesizing. In its cyst form the algae can live even in temperatures of -94°F. As the snow melts in the late mountain spring, the cysts burst open. A single cell with two whip-like tails emerges. It then begins to swim upward, against the draining water from the snow above. At this time of the year, the snow melt water can reach the same acidity as a peat bog, which causes death to most microbes. Those that manage to swim through the snow mate and then return to the cyst stage. These cysts then settle to the ground as the snow melts to remain inactive until the next spring. Researchers have found that the algae have unique fatty acids that enable them to remain flexible in the cold environment in which they spend their entire active lives.
Snow algae have been uniquely designed by God to make a living in some of the lowest temperatures on Earth. If our Creator can find a way to enable snow algae to flourish in these conditions, He can find a way to help us out of the most impossible circumstances.
Lord, help me to trust Your wisdom to solve my problems. Amen.
Psalm 147:16-17
“He giveth snow like wool: he scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes. He casteth forth his ice like morsels: who can stand before his cold?”
Over 2,000 years ago, Aristotle wrote about red snow. Today, red, orange and even green snow has been found on every continent. It is typically found in deep mountain snows in the late spring. The snow color is caused by any of 350 species of strange snow algae.
The pigments inside the resting algae cysts produce the colors. Even while resting in the nutrient-poor, highly acidic snow the cysts are photosynthesizing. In its cyst form the algae can live even in temperatures of -94°F. As the snow melts in the late mountain spring, the cysts burst open. A single cell with two whip-like tails emerges. It then begins to swim upward, against the draining water from the snow above. At this time of the year, the snow melt water can reach the same acidity as a peat bog, which causes death to most microbes. Those that manage to swim through the snow mate and then return to the cyst stage. These cysts then settle to the ground as the snow melts to remain inactive until the next spring. Researchers have found that the algae have unique fatty acids that enable them to remain flexible in the cold environment in which they spend their entire active lives.
Snow algae have been uniquely designed by God to make a living in some of the lowest temperatures on Earth. If our Creator can find a way to enable snow algae to flourish in these conditions, He can find a way to help us out of the most impossible circumstances.
Lord, help me to trust Your wisdom to solve my problems. Amen.
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