1 / 40

Students Surprised to Find Noah's Ark Feasible (by Brian Thomas, M.S .)

Students Surprised to Find Noah's Ark Feasible (by Brian Thomas, M.S .)

arlais
Download Presentation

Students Surprised to Find Noah's Ark Feasible (by Brian Thomas, M.S .)

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Students Surprised to Find Noah's Ark Feasible (by Brian Thomas, M.S.) • Advanced physics students at Leicester University were tasked with determining if the Biblical dimensions of Noah's ark—assuming it was properly constructed—could have supported the mass of 70,000 animals. Student KayieRaymer told UK's The Telegraph that after other "more serious" assignments, this one was "something different."1 What did they find? • The students used 48.2cm (almost 19 inches) as the length of a cubit to estimate the total dimensions of the ark. Using the density of water and Archimedes' principle of buoyancy, they calculated the total mass the ark could contain without sinking.

  2. "Previous research has suggested that there were approximately 35,000 species of animals which would have needed to be saved by Noah," according to The Telegraph, though they cited no source for this estimate. Doubling this number to account for a male and female of each species, the student group estimated that the ark needed to have held approximately 70,000 creatures. To the students' surprise, they found that this amount did not exceed the total mass the ark could contain. Physics student Thomas Morris told The Telegraph, "You don't think of the Bible necessarily as a scientifically accurate source of information, so I guess we were quite surprised when we discovered it would work." The students published their results in Leicester University's Journal of Physics Special Topics.

  3. …It's amazing what happens when the Bible's accuracy is put to the test. The Leicester University physics students "were astonished to find out that the Ark would have floated," according to The Telegraph.1 How much more astonished would they be to find that the Ark not only could have floated, but could have carried all its passengers and their provisions for a whole year, just as the Scriptures say? Since the Bible contains spiritual truths, discovering that the Bible also records historical truth---and even scientific truths--- turns out to be "more serious" than secularized students at first thought it would. AIG, http://www.icr.org/article/8039/

  4. Genesis 14 Abram Rescues Lot

  5. Genesis 14:5-12 “Quos Deus destrueteosdementat”—Those whom God means to destroy he delivers up to infatuation. • The forces of the king of Sodom and his allies were routed by the invading armies; andmany of them perished in the slime-pits who had escaped the sword, v. 10. • In all places we are surrounded with deaths of various kinds, especially in the field of battle. • The cities were plundered, v. 11. All the goods of Sodom, and particularly their goods and precious things [people?], were carried off by the conquerors.

  6. Genesis 14:5-12 “When men abuse the gifts of a bountiful providence to gluttony and excess, it is just with God, and his usual way, by some judgment or other to strip them of that which they have so abused Hos. 2:8, 9:3 Lot was carried captive, v. 12. They took Lot, and his goods. Now Lot shares with his neighbors in this common calamity. Though he was himself a righteous man, and (which is here expressly noticed) Abram’s nephew, yet he was involved with the rest in all this trouble.” (Matthew Henry’s Commentary)

  7. Genesis 14:5-12 “…All things come alike to all, Eccl. 9:2“It is the same for all. There is one fate for the righteous and for the wicked; for the good, for the clean, and for the unclean; for the man who offers a sacrifice and for the one who does not…” The best of men cannot promise themselves an exemption from the greatest troubles in this life; neither by our own piety nor our relationship to those that are the favorites of heaven…, when God’s judgments are abroad. Note, further, many an honest man fares the worse because of his wicked neighbors. It is therefore our wisdom to separate ourselves, from them (2 Co. 6:17), and so deliver ourselves, Rev. 18:4.

  8. Genesis 14:5-12 “Lot is smarting for the foolish choice he made of a settlement at Sodom. This is plainly intimated when it is said, “They took Abram’s brother’s son, who dwelt in Sodom.” So near a relation of Abram should have been a companion and disciple of Abram, and should have lived by his tents; but, if he choose to dwell in Sodom, he can only thank himself if he shares in Sodom’s calamities.” (Matthew Henry)

  9. Genesis 14:5-12 Note: When we go out of the way of our duty we pull ourselves from under God’s protection, and cannot expect that the choices which are made by our lusts should guarantee our comfort. Particular mention is made of their taking Lot’s goods--- those goods which had caused his dispute with Abram and his separation from him. Note: It is just for God to deprive us of those enjoyments by which have caused us to be deprived of our enjoyment of him.

  10. Genesis 14:13 Abram Rescues Lot

  11. Genesis 14:13 13 Then a fugitive came and told Abram the Hebrew. Now he was living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner, and these were allies with Abram.

  12. Genesis 14:13 Q: Why does it call Abram ‘the Hebrew’? Eber (Hebrew) was the great-grandson of Shem (son of Noah), and a distant relative of Abram. The term ‘habiru’ is found often in archaeological texts from the time of Abram, but does not seem to apply exclusively to the children of Israel (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob). ‘Hebrew’ may have referred to any moving tribe---as the descendants of Abraham were until after the time of Moses/Joshua when they settled permanently in Palestine

  13. Genesis 14:13 Abram was a tribal chieftain, if not a king. He had 318 men trained in his household, to pursue the kings and rescue Lot. A large force of Amorites may have accompanied him

  14. Genesis 14:13 Q: Could a force of 318 men overwhelm a much larger army? Ex: Gideon (Judges 6:7; 8:10) fought 135,000 Midianites with 300 men. God was with him…and He was with God. The returning armies were probably relaxing, and enjoying the spoils of war, and the idea of a sudden nighttime attack was only a remote possibility in their minds. They fled, and were killed or captured, all the way north to Damascus (approx. 200 miles)

  15. Genesis 14:13 “Those of the invading armies that had not been slain no doubt straggled back to their homelands as best they could, amazed at this unexpected end to what had been until then a mighty wave of conquest. Small wonder that no mention of this battle has yet been found on any of the Babylonian or Elamite inscriptions; ancient kings were accustomed to recounting only their victories. Defeats usually left them either dead or in slavery. Abram himself would not boast of such a victory, because he well knew that it had come from the LORD, and not from his own exploits” (Morris, p. 317)

  16. Genesis 14:14-16 14 When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he led out his trained men, born in his house, three hundred and eighteen, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. 15He dividedhis forces against them by night, he and his servants, and defeated them, and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus.  16He brought back all the goods, and also brought back his relative Lot with his possessions, and also the women, and the people.

  17. Genesis 14:17 17 Then after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley).

  18. Genesis 14:17 Q: Who is the King of Sodom? A: Probably the predecessor to the one who is destroyed in the fire & brimstone later, although the Biblical account does not name him. He is probably coming out to collect his people, and at least some of the booty which Abram recovered (sheep, goats, donkeys, camels, etc).

  19. Genesis 14:17 Q: Where is the Valley of Shaveh (King’s Valley)? A: 2 Samuel 18:18 – the valley outside Jerusalem, where Absalom erected a monument for himself. “Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and set up for himself a pillar which is in the King’s Valley, for he said, “I have no son to preserve my name.” So he named the pillar after his own name, and it is called Absalom’s monument to this day

  20. Genesis 14:18 18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High (El Elyon). Bread and wine were suitable refreshment for the weary followers of Abram; and it is remarkable that Christ appointed the same as the memorials of his body and blood, which are meat and drink indeed to the soul. Melchizedek blessed Abram from God. He blessed God from Abram. We ought to give thanks for other's mercies as for our own. Jesus Christ, our great High Priest, is the Mediator both of our prayers and praises, and not only offers up ours, but his own for us. Abram gave him the tenth of the spoils, Heb 7:4.  (MHC)

  21. Genesis 14:18 Q: Who is the King of Salem, and where is Salem? “It must be Jerusalem, therefore, which is called by the old name Salem in Ps. 76:2 [“God is known in Judah; His name is great in Israel. And His tabernacle is in Salem; His dwelling place also is in Zion”], out of which the name Jerusalem (founding of peace, or possession of peace) was formed by the addition of the prefix ‘founding’ or ‘possession’.

  22. Genesis 14:18 Q: Who is Melchizedek? Abram accepted from Salem’s priest and king, Melchizedek, not only bread and wine for the invigoration of the exhausted warriors, but a priestly blessing also, and gave him in return the tenth of all his booty, as a sign that he acknowledged this king as a priest of the living God, and submitted to his royal priesthood.

  23. Genesis 14:18 In this self-subordination of Abram to Melchizedek there was the practical prediction of a royal priesthood which is higher than the priesthood entrusted to Abram’s descendants, the sons of Levi, and foreshadowed in the noble form of Melchizedek who blessed Abram, who is called to be a blessing to all the families of the earth.

  24. Genesis 14:18 Q: What does the name Melchizedek mean? A: King of Righteousness. It may have been a standing title for the King of Salem (Jerusalem); but it originated with a King who ruled in righteousness. Q: What does Salem mean? A: Peaceful, or peace, showing that the capital of its king was a citadel of peace, not only as a natural stronghold, but through the righteousness of its sovereign.

  25. Genesis 14:18 Q: Is Jerusalem significant in Biblical history? A: Yes; David chose it as his citadel. Mt. Moriah, which forms part of the city, was pointed out to Abraham by Jehovah as the place of sacrifice for the kingdom of God which was afterwards to be established. It is there that Abram will offer up his son Isaac (Gen. 22:1) (K & D, p. 208)

  26. Genesis 14:18 Q: Is there something significant in having a righteous king, residing in the midst of a wicked Canaanite civilization? A: Yes. He is King and Priest of the true God of heaven and earth, without any record of his descent from Noah, or even of the beginning or the end of his life.

  27. Genesis 14:18 Q: What does Hebrews 5:6 and 7:1-25 mean about Melchizedek? If he was ‘without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days nor end of life” was he human? Was he the pre-incarnate Christ? A: It might mean that he is the Logos (Christ), or an angelic being, or one of the primeval patriarchs (Enoch or Shem). But it might mean nothing more than one, perhaps the last, of the witnesses and confessors of the early revelation of God, coming out into the light of history from the dark night of heathenism.

  28. Genesis 14:18 This appearance points to a priesthood of universal significance, and to a higher order of things, which existed at the commencement of the world, and is one day to be restored again. The King of Salem, and Priest of the Most High God was a type of the God-King and eternal High Priest Jesus Christ (Hebrews 7) The King of Zion, sitting at the right hand of Jehovah, should be a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek (Ps. 110:4), prophesied by King David.

  29. Genesis 14:18 Psalm 110:4-6 “The LORD has sworn and will not change His mind, “Thou art a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.’ The LORD is at Thy right hand; He will shatter kings in the day of His wrath. He will judge among the nations, and He will fill them with corpses; He will shatter the chief men over a broad country…” Note: for a fuller discussion of Melchizedek, see Morris, The Genesis Record, pgs. 317-322)

  30. Genesis 14:18 Q: Is Melchizedek superior to Abram? A: The writer of Hebrews (7:3) states that he is (“without father, without mother, without descent [genealogy] having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually”) (KJV). This seems to suggest the superiority of Melchizedek to Abraham, as well as the later Levitical priesthood, which descended from Aaron/Abraham. Ps. 110:4 says that he did not die…

  31. Genesis 14:18 “The usual interpretation of these amazing statements is that they refer to the fact that Melchizedek appears on the scene suddenly, and then disappears again as suddenly. There is no genealogy listed, no record of his parents or children, no record of birth or death.” Q: Could this be what Hebrews 7 means? There can be no doubt that is the naturalistic interpretation. But if we believe in the verbal inspiration of Scripture, we cannot help wondering why, in this case, the Holy Spirit did not say that Melchizedek was ‘without a record of father or mother or genealogy, or of birth or death’

  32. Genesis 14:18 Q: Could He not foresee that stating it in this way, leaving out the simple word ‘record’, would lead to misunderstanding of Melchizedek’s true nature? Q: He (the Holy Spirit) seems to aggravate the misunderstanding by saying, literally, that Melchizedek was ‘made like unto the Son of God’ and that he ‘remains a priest forever’ (Heb. 7:3).

  33. Genesis 14:18 Morris: “However, it does seem that the most Christ-honoring interpretation, the one most consistent with Biblical literalism, and the one with the fewest difficulties is the recognition of Melchizedek as a glorious manifestation to Abram of God incarnate, the eternal priestly Mediator between man and God” the Lord Jesus Christ. Note: for a fuller discussion of Melchizedek, see Morris, The Genesis Record, pgs. 317-322)

  34. Genesis 14:19-20 19 He blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram of [t]God Most High,[u]Possessor of heaven and earth;20 And blessed be [v]God Most High,Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” He gave him a tenth of all.  Genesis 14:19Heb:El Elyon Genesis 14:19 Or Creator Genesis 14:20Heb:El Elyon

  35. Genesis 14:21-24 21The king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give the people to me and take the goods for yourself.” 22 Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have sworn to the LordGod Most High, possessor of heaven and earth, 23 that I will not take a thread or a sandal thong or anything that is yours, for fear you would say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’24  I will take nothing except what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their share.”

  36. Genesis 14:21-24 14:21-24 Observe the king of Sodom's grateful offer to Abram, Give me the souls, and take thou the substance. Gratitude teaches us to recompense to the utmost of our power, those that have undergone fatigues, run hazards, and been at expense for our service and benefit. Abram generously refused this offer. He accompanies his refusal with a good reason, Lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich: which would reflect upon the promise promise and covenant of God, as if He would not have enriched Abraham without the spoils of Sodom. The people of God must, for their credit's sake, take heed of doing any thing that looks mean or mercenary, or that savors of covetousness and self-seeking. Abraham can trust the Possessor of Heaven and earth to provide for him. (Matthew Henry Commentary)

  37. Genesis 14:21-24 “The arrangement of Abram’s confrontation is chiastic: (a) the king of Sodom met Abram (Gen. 14:17), (b) the king of Salem met Abram (18), (b’) the king of Salem blessed Abram (19-29), (a’) the king of Sodom offered Abram a deal (21). The fact that the offer from the king of Sodom came after Melchizedek’s blessing helped Abram keep things in perspective” (Walvoord, Bible Knowledge Commentary, Vol. 1, p. 54)

  38. Genesis 14 Abram passed this test of faith with courage, generosity, and love. It set the stage for the greatest experience with God, and revelation from God, which Abram had yet received.

  39. Genesis 14 Q: If Abram passed the test well, what about the King of Sodom? How did this affect him? A: The seduction of the world is that it is here, palpable, to be had now. It presses on the mind; it presses on the senses. To exercise self-control for the sake of a future blessing, to put off a present good for a prospective good, needs strength of character and will, and above all, faith.

More Related