Daily Devotional – June 25

Cosmology

Those familiar with astronomy and cosmology have likely heard of “dark matter.” Many astronomy books state as fact that 85% of all matter in the universe is dark matter – something which cannot be directly measured or observed. If it cannot be directly observed, why believe it exists?

The belief in dark matter stems from the fact that the laws of science directly contradict the belief in cosmic evolution and the Big Bang. The universal gas law (PV=nRT) shows that gas ALWAYS moves from high pressure to low pressure if left to itself. This means stars, galaxies, and galaxy clusters could never form themselves in the vacuum of outer space. Yet, they exist, so how do scientists explain the discrepancy?

Dark matter to the rescue! By inventing a massive, invisible substance to condense and compress the “regular matter” of the universe, believers in naturalism can mathematically rescue the Big Bang explanation of how the universe could have created itself.

Dark matter is also invoked to supposedly:

1. Explain irregularities in Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation.
2. Explain how outer stars in galaxies can orbit faster than inner ones.
3. Explain how some of the most common elements in the universe - helium and deuterium (a hydrogen isotope) could have come into existence.
4. Support the Big Bang theory. Without dark matter, the Big Bang model for our universe collapses - thus there is enormous pressure to find proof of the existence of this unobservable, undetectable stuff.

Recent papers claim to have proven the existence of dark matter because light from certain galaxies has been bent in a “gravitational lens” effect in the way that dark matter would supposedly bend light. Yet, this is speculation, not direct observation, and the same effect can be explained in multiple other ways. Russell Humphreys, John Hartnett, and Moshe Carmeli have all shown novel physics solutions that explain the formation of the universe without the need to invent an unobservable, mythical dark matter. All three brilliant physicists acknowledge that the only viable explanation for the origin of the matter and energy in the universe, including stars and galaxies, is a supernatural creation by God. It is the laws of science that lead to this conclusion.

Thus, modern man is faced with two choices as he struggles to explain the origin of the material universe. Either an enormous explosion (from nothing) created the universe of mostly unobservable matter and energy, or the universe exists because an infinitely intelligent and powerful Creator made it. Modern man, in his quest to escape accountability from that Creator, all too often chooses darkness as his god and creator.

If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!

~ Matthew 6:23

Source: "Pearls in Paradise" by authors Bruce Malone and Jule Von Vett

References for this devotional.

Daily Devotional – June 6

Cosmology

From the beginning of time, the night sky has caused us to look up and wonder how many stars are there. How far away are they? Early astronomers thought they were just beyond our reach up in the sky and counted about 2000 stars.

Stars are so far away that we do not measure their distance from Earth in miles but in light years. The closest star to Earth is Proxima Centauri. If you could travel at the speed of light, 186,000 miles per second, it would take 4.3 years to get there. One light year is about 6 trillion miles. Proxima Centauri is 4.3 light years or 25,278,089,104,689 miles away. It is much easier to say 4.3 light years. Our Milky Way is about 70,000 light years across or about 411,503,776,122,852,541 miles. Many stars in the universe seem to be billions of light years away. Psalm 103:11 (NKJV) tells us, “For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him.” The great distances to the stars help us understand God’s great mercy towards us. In our natural state, we are in rebellion against God and do not deserve forgiveness. Yet in God’s great mercy, He forgives the repentant sinner. How great is God’s mercy? Great enough that He was willing to die to bring us back into fellowship with Him. Just as the distance to the stars seems beyond comprehension, so there is no limit to His love for us. Step outside on a starry night and gaze at the vast distances of these stars; that is the magnitude of God’s mercy!

For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.

~ Psalm 103:11

Source: "Pearls in Paradise" by authors Bruce Malone and Jule Von Vett

References for this devotional.

Daily Devotional – May 31

Cosmology

The universe is filled with indications of great age, yet God’s Word tells us, “In six days the Lord made THE HEAVENS and the earth....” (Exodus 20:11 emphasis added). Star deterioration, supernovas, and colossal distances all seem to testify to an extremely old universe. So how could God have made the entire universe quite recently in only “six days”?

When the Bible states:  “In six days…”, we have to know at what location these “six days” of time occurred. Since the earth’s rotation is the measure of a “day”--and the earth is the central focus of the biblical account of history—it seems rather straightforward that six literal earth days, measured at the earth’s location within space, is the measure of time in which the universe was created. Yet, time moves at different rates depending on the location where the passage of time is occurring. It has been found that a clock at sea-level runs a tiny fraction of a percent slower than a clock on top of a mountain. A brilliant Bible-believing physicist, Dr. Russell Humphreys, has proven that millions of years could have passed further out in space while only six days were passing on the earth!

As the very fabric of space was being stretched out, time in some areas would have literally stopped. Meanwhile, millions and even billions of years could have been passing only slightly further out. Near the center of the universe, time essentially stood still in comparison to areas outside of an event boundary. Thus on “day four”, when the stars were made, there would have been a massive increase in the mass of the universe, and literally billions of years could have passed outside of our solar system (as the stars of the universe were being created and aging), while only a literal day was passing here on earth. This is called time dilation. This is not deceptive on the part of God – just the mathematical consequence of making and stretching out the universe.

We have to remember God’s Word is true; He created in six days about 6,000 years ago (according to the genealogical biblical records). How He did it is difficult to understand. God delights in showing us His power through the things He has made.

It is he... that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in.

~ Isaiah 40:22

“If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you,”

~ John 15:18

“You have enemies? Good! That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.”

~ Winston Churchill (1874-1965), Prime Minister of Great Britain during World War II

Source: "Pearls in Paradise" by authors Bruce Malone and Jule Von Vett

References for this devotional.

Daily Devotional – May 6

Cosmology

We do not have an ordinary sun. It is brighter than 85% of all stars and has more mass than 90% of all stars. Of all stars, 75% are red dwarfs, having less than 5% of the light output of the sun. If our sun were a red dwarf, earth would have to be closer to receive its warmth. If it were that close, it would become locked in position - causing one side of the planet to always be dark - resulting in no life. Red dwarfs also frequently have violent flares, so much so that red dwarfs are nicknamed “flare stars.” The remaining stars that aren’t red dwarfs are unstable and would expel too much radiation to support life on any planet orbiting close enough to support life. Our sun is a class G star. More than half of these are binary or multiple systems which would again not provide a stable climate for earth. Essentially, all of the stars we know the most about in the universe are smaller, cooler, dimmer, unstable, or part of a binary system.

Our sun is amazingly stable. For example, EV Larcertae is a red dwarf that has 1% of the sun’s light output, but it had a mega-flare 1,000 times brighter than the sun. If earth were near this red dwarf, our atmosphere would have been stripped off and everything fried because of these flares. Scientists are beginning to observe that super-flares on typical stars happen once every century. These scientists question why our sun hasn’t experienced super-flares in all of recorded history. Our sun is quiet, calm, and stable. One 30 year study found the sun’s energy varied only .06%. Our sun is no ordinary star but; it is perfectly designed to sustain life on earth. This is no accident.

From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord’s name is to be praised.

~ Psalm 113:3

Source: "Pearls in Paradise" by authors Bruce Malone and Jule Von Vett

References for this devotional.

Daily Devotional – April 27

Cosmology

Why isn’t the earth and all life on it, fried from deadly solar radiation? The earth is protected by a magnetic force field that surrounds it. Scientists are finding, however, that this protective force field is slowly wearing down (or decaying). At the current rate of decay, the magnetic force field can be no more than 20,000 years old. This means the Earth could not be older than 20,000 years.

Measuring the strength of the earth’s magnetic field began in 1845. Since that time, there have been many studies. One study showed the decay rate of 5% per century. Another study done by archeologists estimated that the earth’s magnetic field must have been 40% stronger in 1000 A.D. A more recent study from 1970 - 2000 by the International Geomagnetic Reference Field measured a loss of 1.4% in the magnetic field in just 30 years! This has far more profound implications than global climate change, yet it is largely ignored.

For the earth to be billions of years old, as evolutionists say, the earth’s magnetic field would long ago have disappeared, and we would have been bombarded by deadly solar radiation. But earth still has a force field surrounding it. When we do the math, it all points to a young earth and magnetic field. According to Scripture, the earth and the entire universe is only about 6,000 years old. Earth’s magnetic field shouts a young earth!

To him that by wisdom made the heavens: for his mercy endureth forever. To him that stretched out the earth above the waters….

~ Psalm 136:5,6

Source: "Pearls in Paradise" by authors Bruce Malone and Jule Von Vett

References for this devotional.

Daily Devotional – March 15

Cosmology

One of the greatest mysteries of science is the exact structure of creation. What keeps electrons moving? What is light? What is space? What is a charged particle? Why is there so much energy contained within empty space at absolute zero (zero point energy)? Why are galaxies commonly found in a spiral shape? Why are red shifts in distinct bands (quantitized) rather than a continuous smear of shifted values? Why does the speed of light, the mass of atomic particles, and Plank’s constant all seem to have a changing value with time? Who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain. – Psalm 104:2

These are profound mysteries, and even the observation of changing values for atomic constants are frequently denied or ignored because of the implication upon traditionally accepted physics. The primary reason modern physics is helpless to adequately explain these type of inquiries is because it starts from the wrong assumption. Modern physics accepts an enormous age for the universe and attempts to explain everything based on this starting assumption.

Thus, it needs a very weak force (gravity) and lots of time to explain all of reality. Yet, this explanation cannot even explain the formation of a single star and relies on unseen faith in things like “dark matter” and “multiple universes” in an attempt to explain the impossible. A brilliant physicist from Australia, Barry Setterfield, has developed a plasma model of physics that seems to unify the anomalies that arenot explained by the Big Bang model. Setterfields’ theory accepts the scriptural teaching that God stretched out the heavens and realized that this must have been accompanied by enormously accelerated radioactive decay, red shifting of light in quantized bands, and energy added to the fabric of space (analogous to how a stretched rubber band is filled with energy). According to Setterfield, this process “wound up” the universe, providing the energy necessary for star and galaxy formation – all within a very brief period of time.

Who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain.

~ Psalm 104:2

Source: "Pearls in Paradise" by authors Bruce Malone and Jule Von Vett

References for this devotional.

Daily Devotional – March 7

Cosmology

The universe exhibits the same precise movements as a finely crafted clock.

Beginning with our own solar system, we find that the planets orbit in the same direction, counter clockwise as viewed from above the earth’s North Pole. Each planet’s orbit is stable and precise. A planet’s orbital momentum tends to send the planet in a straight line, but the sun’s gravity pulls the planet’s path into a circle (or nearly a circle, an ellipse). If the planets did not have orbital motion, the sun would pull them in and burn them up. Nearly circular orbits prevent planets from straying into another planet’s orbit. All the planets orbit the sun in about the same plane (called the ecliptic). This allows them to be easily located from earth AND for the large gas giants to protect earth from comet-sized bodies.

The Milky Way Galaxy also shows clockwork design. The stars in our galaxy orbit the central hub in such a manner that gravity keeps the stars in a stable orbit. These billions of stars all travel in the same direction, thereby preventing collisions.

Such clockwork motion implies that there must be a clock-maker. We do not say a clock made itself. Clockwork motion means there is One who is a clockmaker, and that One is God. The heavens do declare the glory of God!

The heavens declare the glory of God….

~ Psalm 19:1

Source: "Pearls in Paradise" by authors Bruce Malone and Jule Von Vett

References for this devotional.

Daily Devotional – February 27

Cosmology

Every time NASA sends a probe to a new location within our solar system, it sends back images that astonish scientists. Why the surprise? Because probe after probe sends back images that would not be expected if our solar system were billions of years old. Evidence for the recent creation of our solar system abounds - from the moon of Jupiter (Io) which is inexplicably volcanically active (it should be a cold moon, if millions of years old) to the raging storms and heat radiating from Neptune (it should be a cold planet if millions of years old); from the magnetic field of Mercury (which should not exist if this solid planet was billions of years old) to stable rings of dust orbiting the sun within the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter (which should have long ago been pulled apart by the gravitational attraction of the sun). The latest discovery supporting the recent creation of our solar system is the smooth surface of Pluto.

In July of 2015, NASA released photographs taken during the New Horizons space probe’s fly-by of Pluto. Again evolutionary scientists were stunned by the evidence. Pluto’s surface showed very few craters. If Pluto had been in existence for billions of years, there should have been millions of craters on the surface from impacts of objects hitting it, and any gas in the atmosphere around the planetoid should be long gone.  Yet, Pluto was inexplicably found to have very few craters and a nitrogen atmosphere. Both are best understood as perfectly logical because our solar system is a recent creation by God only about 6000 years ago – rather than a chance formation billions of years ago. Pluto’s smooth surface, along with the existence of an atmosphere, cries out, “Pluto is young!”

God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God.

~ Psalm 53:2

Source: "Pearls in Paradise" by authors Bruce Malone and Jule Von Vett

Have you considered how well archaeological evidence provides support for the recent creation of mankind? All anthropologists know that key human technological advancements – agriculture, the wheel, pottery, and horse domestication – were developed less than 10,000 years ago. The oldest plow is about 4,000 years old. It was discovered in Lavagnone, Italy in a peat bog. What about agriculture in general? Archaeological excavations have shown that agriculture has existed less than 10,000 years. What about the wheel? Even secular history books admit the wheel was invented 5,000 - 6,000 years ago and not in just one area but in Germany, Switzerland, Slovenia, and Mesopotamia. What about pottery? The earliest pottery found was in Iran, Japan, and China and has been dated less than 7,000 years old. Some of the pottery was found to be just as sophisticated in design as recent pottery. What about horse domestication? Again, the most ancient date advanced is that horses were domesticated less than 6,000 years ago. Archaeological evidence shows that the three most ancient civilizations, the Egyptian, Mesopotamian, and Indus civilizations, arose 6,000 (or less) years ago.

Even the oldest written languages date back about 5,000 years, and these languages show no evidence of evolving in complexity. In fact, the most ancient languages were just as complex and sophisticated (often more so) than modern languages – having complex grammar and structure. When we examine the evidence of human activity through archaeology, we find overwhelming support for a recent creation of man. If man had been evolving over millions of years, we should find evidence to support this, but we do not. What we find is man leaving his evidence dating back far less than 10,000 years. This is exactly what we would expect by reading the Bible as accurate, literal history.

Please inquire of past generations, And consider the things searched out by their fathers.

~ Job 8:8 (NASV )

Source: "Pearls in Paradise" by authors Bruce Malone and Jule Von Vett

Daily Devotional - January 26

Cosmology

The best preserved meteorite impact crater on earth can be found near Flagstaff, Arizona. This impressive hole in the ground is almost a mile across and 570 feet deep. Yet, it took over 150 years to acknowledge that it was indeed caused by the impact of a meteor on the earth. From its discovery in the early 1800’s, until 1960, it was thought to be the result of volcanic activity.

Grove Gilbert first studied the crater for the US geological survey in 1891, but he found no evidence of an iron meteorite or any magnetic anomaly in the area that would testify to the presence of an underground meteorite. Therefore, he concluded the crater was the result of a volcanic steam explosion. Undeterred, a mining engineer named Daniel Barringer did not believe the report and spent 27 years, from 1903 -1930, looking for “an estimated 200 billion pounds of iron” that he believed must have been buried by the iron meteorite. He found nothing. It wasn’t until the rock compressions from similar craters and craters formed from nuclear testing were compared with the Barringer crater that scientists finally realized that the Barringer crater formed almost instantly by a rapid catastrophic impact.

The meteorite that caused the crater is estimated to have weighed 600 million pounds (not 200 billion), and it instantly vaporized upon impact leaving only traces of iron deep underneath the crater. This event would have happened after Noah’s Flood of about 4400 years ago, for the crater goes through several of the top sedimentary layers laid down by the Flood. Our entire solar system was apparently pummeled with meteors. Just look at all the meteorite impacts on the moon’s surface! The moon’s craters could have happened either during its formation or during the Flood of Noah. If the meteors pummeled our solar system during the Flood, perhaps the thousands of feet of water covering the earth’s surface during this time explain why there aren’t more meteorite craters apparent around the globe. The meteor to hit Arizona’s Barringer Crater was one of the last stragglers to hit the earth - long after the Flood ended.

The pillars of heaven tremble and are astonished at his reproof.

~ Job 26:11

Source: "Pearls in Paradise" by authors Bruce Malone and Jule Von Vett